Logistics firm Norbert Dentressangle (ND) say they are experiencing higher than usual demand for space within its national shared-user network, which it believes could be a sign of economic recovery.
While the demand for additional storage always increases in the run up to Christmas, according to ND, the company has already seen a 30 per cent reduction in the amount of space available, with sites receiving more enquiries and filling up earlier than in previous years.
ND, which completed its acquisition of Daher‘s freight forwarding operations yesterday, is experiencing particularly strong demand from sectors including fashion retail, e-commerce and food manufacturing, all bellwethers of consumer confidence.
They believe that the uptick in demand for space in its shared-user network goes beyond that associated with the ramp-up for Christmas. The company has also seen increased demand for added-value services including contract packing, product customisation and re-labelling.
Martin Palmer, Business Development Director for Norbert Dentressangle Logistics says: “Christmas is always a busy time of year, with many companies having a requirement for overflow storage in order to meet increased demand. We also regularly provide additional regional support during the winter months to help companies mitigate possible disruption from severe weather.
“While it‘s difficult to be certain about the reasons, we have seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of available space in our network in recent months and are optimistic that this could be indicative of an improvement in the economic conditions.”
ND‘s annual turnover for 2012 was €3.9bn
