Warehouse Market in India 2023

The industry is highly fragmented with several unorganized players. Organized players account for 10% of the market. The remainder is controlled by unorganized players who manage small-sized warehouses with less/no mechanization. Over the years, the need for warehousing has been primarily driven by third-party logistics (3PL) and logistics. Around 60% of the modern warehousing capacity is found in six metropolitan cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune.

Private equity firms and Indian corporate developers are investing heavily in this industry and are concentrating on building industrial parks that are legal, environmentally friendly, and technologically cutting edge for their clients. At the end of FY 2023, India's eight key markets had an estimated 38 million square meters (412 million square feet) of storage stock.

The growing popularity of online shopping has increased the demand for efficient storage and distribution units. As manufacturing activities rise, so does the demand for warehouse space to keep raw materials and completed items. Furthermore, there is a growing demand for cold storage facilities due to the rising demand to preserve perishable goods such as food, pharmaceuticals, and other temperature-sensitive products.

Market trends:

A growing trend in the nation that has gained popularity in recent years is sustainability in warehousing practices. Market players are actively attempting to reduce their carbon footprint by including green energy practices to fulfill warehouse energy requirements, including solar panels or LED lights, incorporating electric vehicles (EVs) for transportation, and by using recyclable packing materials such as cardboard instead of plastic packaging materials.

Following the trend, on May 19, 2023, GreenLine partnered with Nestle India for sustainable logistics using an LNG-powered fleet. Greenline is an India-based heavy trucking logistics company that uses LNG fleet to reduce harmful carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen emissions to the environment.

Market drivers:

The expansion of the Indian e-commerce industry is fueling demand as well as the development of the country's logistics and warehousing sector. E-retailers are opening warehouses in tier I and tier II cities, as well as working collaboratively with well-known logistics service providers across the country, maintaining lower delivery costs.

To stay relevant in the era of growing e-commerce, traditional logistics service providers (LSPs) have started focusing on e-retail-based logistics solutions. Additionally, several of them have branched out to business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) operation capabilities.

Companies such as Gati Ltd, Blue Dart Express Ltd, Safeexpress Private Ltd, DTDC Express Ltd, and Drive India Enterprise Solutions Ltd have added e-commerce verticals to their existing lines of business.

Key deterrents to the growth of the market:

Lack of infrastructure is one of the biggest hurdles in the warehousing market. India has the lowest warehouse capacity with modern facilities when compared to the rest of the world. Given the fragmented state of the industry (large share of unorganized players), investments in IT is not satisfactory. The government has taken initiatives to improve warehousing infrastructure in the country and has invested heavily in the same.