Take-up of warehouse space increased by 25% (19,500 m²) compared with the same quarter last year. This means the five-year average for this space segment of 87,000 m² was exceeded by 11%. The three largest lease transactions by JD Logistics with 41,430 m², FST Industrie with 11,200 m² and rentitNOW with 7,900 m² together comprised 60,530 m² or 57% of total market take-up from January to the end of March 2026.

Alexander Ego, Managing Director of REALOGIS Immobilien Berlin GmbH, comments: 'Berlin has made a strong start to 2026. What stands out in particular is the large-scale market entry by JD Logistics in the surrounding area to the south of Berlin. This demonstrates that Chinese companies are now actively expanding in Berlin and are significantly strengthening their presence in competition with established market players. Against the backdrop of Joybuy's roll-out, which has been notably accelerated since March 2026, it is reasonable to expect that further Chinese companies will establish a presence in the Berlin market and provide additional momentum to demand for large-scale logistics properties.'

Rents remained stable at a high level
Prime rent remained unchanged at €10.50/m² in Q1 2026 and thus continued to sit 11% above the five-year average of €9.47/m². Average rent also remained at the level of the same quarter last year at €8.10/m². This means it was 7% above the five-year average of €7.54/m². Following the multi-year increase, rents have therefore, for the time being, moved sideways at a high level.

Brownfield lettings outpace existing space
With 50,300 m² or 47% of total take-up, lease transactions in new builds on brownfield sites were ahead of existing space with 46,500 m² or 44%. New builds on greenfield sites accounted for 9,200 m² or 9%. A key contribution to the strong performance of brownfield sites came from the lease transactions by JD Logistics with 41,430 m² and rentitNOW with 7,900 m², which together accounted for around 98% of take-up in this category. In existing space, FST Industrie shaped market activity with 11,200 m², which corresponds to around 24% of take-up in existing buildings.
By building type, big-box spaces dominated with 69,400 m² ahead of other space with 26,700 m² and business parks with 9,900 m². The market remained tenant-driven. Lettings accounted for 106,000 m² or 100%. No owner-occupiers were recorded in Q1 2026.

Surrounding area to the south of Berlin ahead of Berlin urban area
With 53,000 m² or a 50% share, the surrounding area to the south of Berlin was the strongest submarket in Q1 2026. Berlin urban area came second, with 40,300 m² (38%).
Within the urban area, Berlin West achieved 17,500 m² ahead of Berlin South with 13,100 m², Berlin North with 5,300 m² and Berlin East with 4,400 m². The surrounding area to the north of Berlin accounted for 9,200 m² or 9%, the surrounding area to the west of Berlin for 3,500 m² or 3%. No lease transactions were recorded in the surrounding area to the east of Berlin.

Industries: Logistics/Distribution lead ahead of retail
The Logistics/Distribution industry achieved the highest take-up with 53,200 m² or 50% and thus clearly outpaced Retail/Wholesale with 27,600 m² or 26%. Within retail, 16,200 m² or 59% was attributable to traditional retail and 11,400 m² or 41% to e-commerce. The Supply/Others category reached 14,000 m² or 13%. The manufacturing sector accounted for 11,200 m² or 11%. A key driver behind the strong result in the Logistics/Distribution industry was the major lease transaction by JD Logistics, which alone accounted for 78% of take-up in this category.

Half of take-up was accounted for by lease transactions from 10,001 m²
Large-scale units from 10,001 m² remained market-defining and contributed 52,630 m² – exactly half of total take-up. Units between 5,001 m² and 10,000 m² accounted for 14,100 m². The 3,001 m² to 5,000 m² segment reached 20,370 m². Lettings between 1,000 m² and 3,000 m² totalled 16,300 m². Small units below 1,000 m² came to 2,600 m².

Key figures at a glance

• Take-up: 106,000 m²
• Prime rent: €10.50/m²
• Average rent: €8.10/m²
• Existing space: 46,500 m² | New build on brownfield sites: 50,300 m² | New build on greenfield sites: 9,200 m²
• Tenants: 106,000 m² | Owner-occupiers: 0 m²

Press contact REALOGIS:
TARGA Communications
Jochen Goetzelmann and Arne Degener
Tel: +49 (151) 196 933 90
E-Mail: realogis@targacom.de

Company contact REALOGIS:
REALOGIS Holding GmbH
Silja Schuppler
Marketing Manager
Leopoldstraße 154, 80804 Munich
Phone: +49/89/51 55 69 17
E-mail: s.schuppler@realogis.de
www.realogis.de

REALOGIS. The No. 1 in industrial and logistics real estate
The REALOGIS Group is Germany's leading address for consulting and brokerage services for industrial and logistics real estate as well as commercial properties. As an owner-managed company with offices in Berlin, Düsseldorf, southern and northern Germany, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart, the company, founded in 2005, has in-depth market knowledge and more than twenty years of experience in the German real estate sector.

Around 70 employees support national and international companies from the logistics, industrial, retail and e-commerce sectors, as well as private and institutional investors. The range of services includes finding tenants for existing and new-build properties, supporting investors with acquisitions and project developments, advising on property searches or sales, and developing and implementing holistic real estate strategies, from location analysis to the utilisation of assets no longer required for business operations.