Logistics market in the Ruhr region: with top balance sheet for clear leadership in location ranking

In terms of the distribution of turnover among the user groups, the logistics service providers in the Ruhr region are following the nationwide trend and clearly stand out in an industry comparison: with a letting volume of around 183,000 m², they achieved record take-up in the first half of the year and accounted for a good 65% of market activity. It is noteworthy that they have not only appeared through very large contracts such as those of Cencora, Goodcang or Blitz Distribution, but have also contributed a total of 59% of all deals.

With a share of just over 13%, however, the retail division remains significantly underrepresented in the middle of the year. However, if you consider that the business model of the currently very active logistics service providers is often closely interlinked with the distribution processes of globally active e-commerce companies, the result is put into perspective. In addition to the conclusion of the FlexiSpot office solutions dealer in Werne (20,500 m²), only a few smaller and medium-sized contracts are still in the retail segment. The situation is similar in the industrial sector, which accounts for a further 13%. Here, too, only a few deals were registered, but this also included Siemens Mobility in the Logport in Duisburg-Rheinhausen (20,000 m²).

Be it in a long-term or location comparison – the logistics market in the Ruhr region performed impressively in many respects in the first half of 2026. Thus, an average take-up in the coming months would be sufficient to present a higher result at the end of September than in the previous year. From today's perspective, demand is likely to remain consistently high, especially from users from the e-commerce sector and the Asian region. The challenge is primarily to map the usually large-scale and often short-term requests of these actors. It is therefore all the more pleasing that the new-build segment in the Ruhr region is able to provide a remedy again and again: with a volume of over 100,000 m² of total take-up, the logistics region also achieves the top position nationwide in the new-build sector (36% share).

Meanwhile, no significant changes are expected in the supply situation: While some available space in existing properties has been let out, expiring leases, sublet space and new developments coming onto the market are largely causing sideways movements in the supply of space.

"The development of prime rents must be viewed in a differentiated way: Even if more and more contracts are being concluded in the range of or even above the prime rent of €8.00/m², these are in many cases associated with extensive incentive packages. This means that at most minor adjustments can be expected for the coming months," says Bastian Hafner, Head of Logistics & Industrial Advisory at BNP Paribas Real Estate GmbH.

Link to the market report