Global trends suggest more and more cold storage space is needed, it is vital that we take stock of what we already have
Foreword
If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it. It’s a widely quoted business maxim, but one that hasn’t been acted on within the UK cold chain’s warehousing estate, until now.
It is surprising, given the amount of interest there has been in our warehousing and storage capacity in recent years. The idea of ‘stockpiling’, ensuring we have capacity to hold stock in times of crisis, has been a recurring theme of public debate about Covid-19 and Brexit.
Cold storage warehouses are used to store any temperature-controlled item to keep them safe by preventing deterioration, they are also used in order to adhere to the strict laws and regulations which come with some substances, such as vaccines
Savills Research
Industry people know well that it is neither possible, nor desirable, to stockpile our way out of problems caused by cold chain interruptions.
Nonetheless, having a clearer picture of what storage capacity there is and where it is located has numerous benefits in explaining our industry to government and managing crises.
Perhaps the reason it hasn’t been done before is because it’s not easy to do well. This report is only a starting point, but it is a signal of our intent.
As the new Cold Chain Federation we intend to be the impartial knowledge centre for cold chain in the UK. We are investing in unique and impartial data and insight to help those within, and outside our industry to have a better-shared understanding of the size, scale, trends and value of temperature-controlled logistics in the UK.
We are grateful to partner with Savills, whose expertise in industrial logistics is without question. This report is the start of a partnership that will see us build our knowledge about the existing cold storage estate, its strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities it presents for investors, operators and customers.
Shane Brennan,
Chief Executive, Cold Chain Federation
Read the articles within Spotlight: UK Cold Storage Sector below.
