Warehouse and Storage Construction Market Report – UK 2026-2030
The 5th edition of the Warehouse Construction Market Report – UK 2026-2030 examines the size and performance of the warehouse, distribution and storage construction market, includes a detailed regional analysis, profiles key contractors, and highlights market trends and drivers. It also provides a market forecast extending to 2030.
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Market Summary
Following a strong rebound in 2025, the outlook for the UK warehouse construction market is more subdued in the near-term, as economic and geopolitical uncertainty continues to weigh on investment decisions. However, activity is forecast to return to growth from 2027 onwards.
Longer-term demand fundamentals remain positive. Growth in e-commerce, particularly within last-mile logistics, and rising occupier demand from Chinese e-commerce operators will continue to support warehouse development. Demand is also being underpinned by businesses investing in more resilient and diversified supply chains.
At the same time, tightening MEES requirements and increasing occupier expectations around sustainability, energy efficiency and building quality are creating opportunities for developers able to deliver modern Grade A space. Rapid growth in the data centre sector is providing an additional source of demand, further supporting construction activity over the forecast period.
Report Overview
This is the fifth edition of the Warehouse Construction report, and Barbour ABI has reviewed the overall market. The report examines the size and performance of the market in recent years, market shares and performance of individual sectors within the warehousing market, as well as key trends and market influences together with forecasts to 2030. The analysis is both qualitative and quantitative, with indications of key trends and views on the market prospects. This includes assessing the market size and trends, key companies in this marketplace, and the various factors influencing demand and construction activity.
The report also includes detailed analysis of planning data from the Barbour ABI database, including regional insights into recent planning applications and contract awards.
Market Size
In 2025, UK warehouse construction output increased by a strong 24%, although activity has been volatile in recent years. This volatility partly reflects disruption arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the influence of large-scale projects such as major data centres and logistics hubs. Nevertheless, the market continues to exhibit a clear long-term growth trend supported by favourable structural drivers.
Market Trends and Influences
Several key trends and influences are shaping the Warehouse Construction market:
- The continued expansion of e-commerce remains a favourable long-term trend, particularly for last-mile logistics. In the occupier market, the importance of Chinese e-commerce platforms is expected to increase, as many Chinese operators are moving away from direct-to-consumer cross-border shipping models and increasingly establishing UK-based distribution networks.
- Disruption to global supply chains continues to create uncertainty and heighten operational risk. Thus, warehouse demand is being supported by the need to build greater supply chain resilience.
- Tightening MEES requirements and rising sustainability expectations are boosting demand for Grade A, energy-efficient facilities.
- Data centres represent a growing source of demand, although development is concentrated towards the latter part of the forecast period and remains dependent on AI-related investment.
- Limited land availability and Green Belt restrictions are increasing reliance on brownfield redevelopment. While this often requires environmental remediation, it supports more sustainable development through the reuse of existing infrastructure. Developers are also responding to land constraints by increasing warehouse clear heights and delivering more multi-storey urban logistics schemes.
Companies Mentioned
Key contractors discussed in the report include:
Winvic Construction
TSL
McLaren Construction
Glencar Construction
Benniman
Bowmer & Kirkland
A7H Construction Developments
The report also reviews key warehouse developers, including:
SEGRO
Tritax Big Box
LondonMetric Property
Prologis UK
AEW UK REIT
Custodian Property Income
Clipstone
Market Forecast
Following an expected slowdown in activity in 2026, the UK warehouse construction sector is forecast to return to growth from 2027 onwards. Total construction output is projected to rise by a cumulative 18% between 2026 and 2030, supported by strengthening demand and an improving development pipeline.
1 INTRODUCTION
- 1.1 Context
- 1.2 Sources of information
- 1.3 Abbreviations
2 MARKET SUMMARY
- 2.1 The market
- 2.1.1 Market size and forecast
- 2.1.2 Construction contracts
- 2.2 End-use markets
- 2.3 Market drivers
- 2.4 Contractor shares
3 MARKET SIZE AND SEGMENTATION
- 3.1 Market size
- 3.2 Contract Awards
- 3.2.1 Overview
- 3.2.2 North East
- 3.2.3 North West
- 3.2.4 Yorkshire & the Humber
- 3.2.5 East Midlands
- 3.2.6 West Midlands
- 3.2.7 East of England
- 3.2.8 London
- 3.2.9 South East
- 3.2.10 South West
- 3.2.11 Wales
- 3.2.12 Scotland
- 3.2.13 Northern Ireland
- 3.3 Building Applications
- 3.3.1 Overview
- 3.3.2 North East
- 3.3.3 North West
- 3.3.4 Yorkshire & the Humber
- 3.3.5 East Midlands
- 3.3.6 West Midlands
- 3.3.7 East of England
- 3.3.8 London
- 3.3.9 South East
- 3.3.10 South West
- 3.3.11 Wales
- 3.3.12 Scotland
- 3.3.13 Northern Ireland
4 THE WAREHOUSING SECTOR
- 4.1 Structure
- 4.2 Activity
- 4.3 Volume
- 4.4 Regional Segmentation
- 4.5 Type and Size of Warehouse
- 4.6 Type of Company
- 4.7 Developer Profiles
- 4.7.1 Introduction
- 4.7.2 SEGRO
- 4.7.3 Tritax Big Box
- 4.7.4 LondonMetric Property
- 4.7.5 Prologis UK
- 4.7.6 AEW UK REIT
- 4.7.7 Custodian Property Income
- 4.7.8 Clipstone Industrial
5 MARKET INFLUENCES AND DRIVERS
- 5.1 Overview
- 5.2 Political market influences and drivers
- 5.2.1 Overview
- 5.2.2 Geopolitical influences
- 5.2.3 Planning reforms
- 5.2.4 Industrial Strategy Zones
- 5.2.5 Land use
- 5.3 Economic market influences and drivers
- 5.3.1 The general economy
- 5.3.2 Business confidence
- 5.3.3 Freight, international trade and logistics disruption
- 5.4 Social market influences and drivers
- 5.4.1 E-commerce
- 5.4.2 Data centres
- 5.4.3 Land scarcity
- 5.5 Technological market influences and drivers
- 5.5.1 Electrical infrastructure
- 5.5.2 Automation and robotics integration
- 5.6 Legal market influences and drivers
- 5.6.1 Building Regulations
- 5.6.2 Other regulations
- 5.6.3 Contractual changes
- 5.6.4 Regulatory drivers
- 5.7 Environmental market influences and drivers
- 5.7.1 Overview
- 5.7.2 Net Zero
- 5.7.3 Energy performance and BREEAM standards
- 5.7.4 Biodiversity Net Gain
- 5.7.5 Brownfield and height trends
- 5.7.6 Reducing embodied carbon
- 5.7.7 Green energy
6 CONTRACTING
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 Contractor profiles
- 6.2.1 Winvic Construction
- 6.2.2 TSL
- 6.2.3 McLaren Construction
- 6.2.4 Glencar Construction
- 6.2.5 Benniman
- 6.2.6 Bowmer & Kirkland
- 6.2.7 A&H Construction and Developments
7 MARKET FORECAST
Figure 1: UK Warehouse and Storage New Construction Activity, 2020-2030
Figure 2: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the UK, 2020-2025
Figure 3: Regional Breakdown of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the UK, 2025
Figure 4: Warehousing and Storage Services Indexed Output, 2010-2026
Figure 5: Contractors Gaining More Than £500 million of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts, 2020-2026
Figure 6: UK Warehouse and Storage New Construction Activity in the UK, 2020-2025 (£ million)
Figure 7: Private Warehouse and Storage New Construction Activity Compared With Other Private Industrial Construction in Great Britain, 2020-2025
Figure 8: Public Warehouse and Storage New Construction Activity Compared With Other Public Industrial Construction in Great Britain, 2020-2025
Figure 9: Estimated Warehouse and Storage New Construction Activity in Northern Ireland, 2020-2025
Figure 10: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the UK, 2020-2025
Figure 11: Seasonal Analysis of the Number of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the UK, 2020-2026
Figure 12: Seasonal Analysis of the Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the UK, 2020-2026, £ Million
Figure 13: Regional Breakdown of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the UK, 2025
Figure 14: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the North East, 2020-2025
Figure 15: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in the North West, 2020-2025
Figure 16: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in Yorkshire & the Humber, 2020-2025
Figure 17: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in East Midlands, 2020-2025
Figure 18: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in West Midlands, 2020-2025
Figure 19: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in East England, 2020-2025
Figure 20: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in London, 2020-2025
Figure 21: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in South East, 2020-2025
Figure 22: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in South West, 2020-2025
Figure 23: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in Wales, 2020-2025
Figure 24: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in Scotland, 2020-2025
Figure 25: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts in Northern Ireland, 2020-2025
Figure 26: Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Contracts and Applications in the UK, 2020-2025
Figure 27: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in the UK, 2020-2025
Figure 28: Seasonal Analysis of the Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in the UK, 2020-2026, £ Million
Figure 29: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in the North East, 2020-2025
Figure 30: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in the North West, 2020-2025
Figure 31: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in Yorkshire & the Humber, 2020-2025
Figure 32: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in East Midlands, 2020-2025
Figure 33: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in West Midlands, 2020-2025
Figure 34: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in East of England, 2020-2025
Figure 35: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in London, 2020-2025
Figure 36: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in South East, 2020-2025
Figure 37: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in South West, 2020-2025
Figure 38: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in Wales, 2020-2025
Figure 39: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in Scotland, 2020-2025
Figure 40: Number and Value of Warehouse and Storage New Construction Applications in Northern Ireland, 2020-2025
Figure 41: Structure of the Dedicated Warehousing and Storage Services Sector 2026
Figure 42: Warehousing and Storage Services Indexed Output, 2010-2026
Figure 43: Warehousing and Storage Services Indexed Quarterly Output, 2020-2026
Figure 44: Regional Importance of Logistics Warehousing and Industrial Building Floorspace in England and Wales, 2024
Figure 45: Regional Breakdown of Logistics Warehousing Floorspace in Great Britain, 2024
Figure 46: Comparison of Key UK Warehouse Locations
Figure 47: Segmentation of Logistic Warehousing Floorspace in Great Britain, by Size of Warehouse, 2024
Figure 48: Segmentation of Logistics Warehousing Floorspace in Great Britain, by Industry Sector, 2024
Figure 49: Company profile – SEGRO
Figure 50: Value Segmentation of Industrial, Logistics and Data Centre Market, for SEGRO, 2025
Figure 51: Company profile – Tritax Big Box
Figure 52: Segmentation of Property Portfolio of Tritax Big Box, 2025
Figure 53: Major Client Contracted Annual Rent Shares for Tritax Big Box, 2025
Figure 54: Company profile – LondonMetric Property
Figure 55: Company profile – Prologis UK
Figure 56: Company profile – AEW UK REIT
Figure 57: Company profile – Custodian Property Income REIT
Figure 58: Company profile – Clipstone Industrial REIT
Figure 59: UK Warehousing and Storage Construction PESTLE Summary, 2026
Figure 60: Investment Zones Funding Model, 2025
Figure 61: Investment Zones Funding Model, 2025
Figure 62: UK Quarterly GDP Development, 2024-2026
Figure 63: Comparison of Forecasts for Key Economic Variables 2026 – 2030 (published May 2026)
Figure 64: UK Bank Base Rate, and Dates of Change, 2020-2026
Figure 65: UK Quarterly Manufacturing Optimism Development, 2020-2026
Figure 66: UK Domestic Freight Analysis, by Type, 2022-2025
Figure 67: Analysis of UK Road Freight Transport, 2025 (Billion tkm)
Figure 68: Major International Trade Ports, 2025 (Million tonnes)
Figure 69: International Freight Transport by Weight and Mode of Transport, 2024
Figure 70: Development of UK E-commerce Retail Activity, 2015-2025
Figure 71: Segmentation of UK E-commerce Activity, 2019
Figure 72: Warehousing Implications of Website Sales Development, By Sector, 2020-2026
Figure 73: UK Market for Data Centre Construction by Value Including Retrofit and RMI, 2020-2029
Figure 74: Historic and Balanced Pathway for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Carbon Budget Targets, 1990-2050
Figure 75: Contractors Gaining More Than £500 million of Warehouse and Storage New construction Contracts, 2020-2026
Figure 76: Company profile – Winvic Construction
Figure 77: Company profile – TSL
Figure 78: Company profile – McLaren Construction
Figure 79: Company profile – Glencar Construction
Figure 80: Company profile – Benniman
Figure 81: Company profile – Bowmer & Kirkland
Figure 82: Company profile – A & H Construction and Developments
Figure 83: Forecast UK Warehouse and Storage New Construction Activity, 2025-2030
Figure 84: UK Warehouse and Storage New Construction Pipeline, 2025-2030
Warehouse and Storage Construction Market Report – UK 2026-2030
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