Spain 3PL Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Spain 3PL Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Spanish economy had experienced a gradual slowdown, with the country’s GDP growing at 2%, and its GDP is further expected to decelerate to 1.9% in 2020. The Spanish 3PL market is estimated to record a CAGR of over 6% during the forecast period, 2020-2025.

Key Highlights

• Spain acts as a gateway to the markets of Europe, Latin America, North Africa, and the Middle East. The logistics sector is one of the engines of the Spanish economy, and it accounted for around 8% of the country’s GDP.
• Pharmaceuticals and automobiles are Spain’s primary exports. Spain is the eighth-largest automotive producer in the world, and it is the second largest, behind Germany, in Europe.
• E-commerce and the automobile sector are the major drivers of the logistics industry. The e-commerce sales in Spain grew at a rate of 27.1% in 2018, thus, increasing the demand in the warehousing and distribution sector.

Key Market TrendsGrowth in Refrigerated Logistics

The strong growth in the domestic consumption of perishable goods, such as fresh food, meat, and pharmaceutical products, is increasing the demand for temperature-controlled storage across the country. Electricity has been a major challenge for cold storage companies, accounting for 30% of the cost of the service provided. Companies are adopting different strategies and making investments in technologies to reduce the costs involved and improve the operational efficiencies.

Witron, a logistics solutions provider, announced the opening of its sixth fully automated frozen food logistics center for Mercadona, a leading food retailer. The 189,400 sq. ft distribution center is designed to operate 24*7 at sub-zero temperatures. With these mechanized logistics systems, Witron is accountable for the storage and picking of frozen goods for more than 80% of all 1,630 stores of Mercadona in Spain.

Mecalux equipped the sectored cold-storage warehouse of Grupo Alimentario Citrus (GAC) production center in Ribarroja with mobile pallet racking, push-back racks with rollers, and live preload channels. The combination of these solutions helped optimize the available space to achieve a storage capacity of more than 1,500 pallet and to organize goods according to their features and rotation.

Increasing Demand for a Smart and Renewable Supply Chain

The increasing demand for goods with relatively decreasing lead time is pushing the logistics service providers to expand their reach in the national as well as international geography and provide seamless delivery services to their customers. The global concern around the carbon emissions in the environment is also driving the companies towards the adaptation of renewable sources of energy and sustainable modes of providing service.

For instance, Volkswagen Group, in partnership with Begé Gefco and Groupe CAT, is aiming at reducing the CO2 emission levels of its logistics operations by 20%, by 2024, and establishing itself as a carbon-neutral company by 2050.

In November 2019, XPO Logistics expanded its network in Spain with the opening of a multi-modal hub in Glacia with a storage space of 32,292 sq. ft and 22 cross-docks supporting XPO’s domestic and international freight transport, as well as the last-mile service for the food and beverage and automotive sectors. All of XPO’s sites in Spain consume 100% renewable electricity. It also purchased 100 Stralis Natural Power Euro VI tractors from IVECO, which are expected to be dedicated to the company’s less-than-truckload network. Further, it may expand its natural gas fleet with more than 20 LNG/CNG vehicles operating in Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal.

LaSalle Investment Management opened a pan-European real estate with an optimized warehousing space spanning 31,000 sq. m, in Spain, to facilitate multi-tenant usage, given the strong occupier demand in the market.

The French logistics operator, Groupe CAT, joined the Vinturas Platform – a consortium of leading automotive logistics service providers in Europe, including companies like Axess Logistics, Koopman Logistics Group, NVD, and AutoLink – aiming to lead the standardization of digital processes in the supply chain, managing more than 12 million vehicle movements per year, i.e., over 25% of all supply chain vehicle movements in Europe.

Competitive Landscape

The market is relatively fragmented, with a large number of local and international players, including CEVA Logistics, Groupe CAT, Naeko, and OIA Global, being the key players. The demand for integrated and specialized logistics solutions in the market is rising, and the companies in the country are expected to adopt transport and warehouse management systems, Big Data, and analytics to remain competitive. For instance, DB Schenker, a leading logistics provider, in partnership with Plug and Play, a leading global innovation platform, established its Corporate Innovation Network, which enables an open exchange with innovators from more than 300 corporations and tens of thousands of startups.

The Rhenus Group acquired the Spanish company LTK, which specializes in logistics solutions for the aerospace and automotive industries. With the acquisition, Rhenus also expanded its presence in Spain, with three warehousing facilities in Madrid.

Among recent developments, CEVA Logistics, in partnership with Airbus, is expected to be responsible for the consolidation of its spare parts and components at the site from other locations across Europe, including Spain, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

Merlin Properties, a Spanish real estate company, agreed to build a warehouse in Zaragoza for the Danish transport and logistics company, DSV. Socimi, led by Ismael Clemente, may lease the 12,000 sq. m property to DSV for ten years.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

Companies Mentioned
 
Gannett Co. Inc.
Fairfax Media
The New York Times
Axel Springer SE
Schibsted Media Group
APN News and Media
Daily Mail and General Trust
Dogan Yayin Holding
Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso
Johnston Press
Hachette Book Group
HarperCollins
Macmillan
Penguin Random House
Simon & Schuster

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