Logistics & Manufacturing

The logistics market in 2026 is likely to see stable growth, improving market ‎confidence, and challenges around workforce and sustainability pressures. Demand ‎has now stabilised and is expected to remain resilient as interest rate cuts and ‎improved business sentiment support occupier activity.

Northern regions, particularly ‎the North West, Yorkshire and North East, continue to outperform, driven by strong ‎rental growth, low vacancy rates, and limited new speculative development. ‎Investment conditions are improving, although operational challenges persist in the ‎sector.

At the same time, sustainability efforts are accelerating through the growing ‎adoption of electric vehicles and green freight initiatives. Looking ahead, the sector is ‎continuing its move towards modern, high-quality logistics spaces that meet evolving ‎supply chain, technological and environmental standards.‎

UK manufacturing has started the year with cautious optimism supported by the government’s Industrial Strategy. This strategic clarity boosts investment confidence ‎and underpins growth prospects, even as manufacturers continue to face rising ‎employment, energy and material costs.

These pressures are particularly acute in ‎energy-intensive industries, prompting increased investment in automation, AI and ‎data analytics. Digital transformation is an essential driver of productivity, ‎competitiveness and resilience. Despite ongoing cost pressures, we expect to see ‎sustainable, innovation-driven progress throughout 2026.‎

CASE STUDY

Warehouse Refurbishment

A client undertaking a warehouse refurbishment needed a reliable and transparent process to manage project deliverables, especially digital files. These included not only traditional documents but also asset data generated through building information modelling (BIM).

RLB Digital developed an information management solution that provided more efficient information handling, faster decision-making, and higher-quality data and reports, saving the client valuable time and increasing confidence in the information being received throughout the project life cycle.

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