Warehouse space across the Midlands is getting harder to find, more expensive to take, and slower to deliver. New development is cooling, high-quality availability remains tight, and prime rents are still moving upwards - leaving many operators with the same conclusion: they need more space than they currently have.
The latest industrial and logistics research underlines how quickly the market has tightened. Colliers reported that the Midlands accounted for 61% of UK industrial and logistics take-up in the first half of 2026, while availability in the East Midlands fell by 20% over the same period. In the West Midlands, vacancy dropped to 4.7%, its lowest level since late 2023. Speculative warehouse completions are also heading for their lowest annual total since 2018.
Knight Frank’s Midlands research tells a similar story on cost. Prime industrial rents in Birmingham have risen 4.2% year on year to £12.50 per sq ft for units over 50,000 sq ft, with...
