2019 forecast: Nick Cook (Gazeley)

The underlying fundamentals of the sector remain strong, with continued customer activity driven by e-commerce, global trade, supply chain reconfiguration, outsourcing and urbanisation. These are structural drivers that are here to stay.

We will be building on the foundations laid in 2018 under our new GLP ownership. We continue to actively pursue new opportunities in UK and Europe, both from a development and acquisition perspective, maintaining a disciplined but growth-oriented outlook. Gazeley has been at the forefront of innovation in the sector and we will continue to push the boundaries in a sector that is evolving faster than most.

We hope that more young people choose industrial and logistics as a place to develop their real estate careers. We have a growing and increasingly diverse talent pool in the sector but it’s no way big enough to support sustained growth over the next few decades. I strongly believe industrial and logistics is the most compelling real estate sector to be in right now, whether that be from an advisory, developer, investor or customer perspective. People make our industry unique and I hope it stays that way.

Resolution: Be willing to embrace new technologies, to do more with less, and to change anything that isn’t adding value.

Nick Cook, chief executive, Gazeley