Retailers Are Racing to Beat Tariffs. Is Your Warehouse Network Ready?

Retailers front-loading inventory ahead of tariff deadlines are creating a warehousing capacity crunch; utilisation has hit an eight-year high whilst available capacity has contracted, and real estate data shows construction completions lagging demand for the first time since the pandemic, driving rents sharply higher. If you operate warehouses or offer supply-chain logistics, landlords have you backed into a corner for the next 18 months: demand is outrunning new builds for the first time since 2020, and shippers renewing leases this year are signing at peak rents with no relief in sight. Lock in long-term capacity now or your unit economics break.