Przemysł 5.0 w logistyce: jak zmienia się rola magazynów w Polsce i Europie

Industry 5.0 in Logistics: How the Role of Warehouses is Changing in Poland and Europe

Three business professionals analyzing supply chain performance data and logistics metrics on a large digital display screen in a modern office environment.

Conscious Trade-offs: The New Logic of Logistics Management

Tomasz Mika from JLL presenting a report on the Polish warehouse market and the impact of demographic changes on commercial real estate in Poland through 2035.

E-commerce is Growing, Workers are Declining. The Polish Warehouse Market at a Turning Point

<h1 style="text-align:justify;">If Polish warehouses were to stop operating for a week, the economy would feel the impact almost immediately. Store shelves would begin to empty, some manufacturing plants would have to scale back operations, and deliveries and&nbsp; e-commerce would grind to a halt. Although warehouses remained an invisible part of the market for years, they have now become one of its most important pillars.&nbsp;Nearly every product passes through them – from food and pharmaceuticals to electronics and components used in factories.&nbsp;The importance of the warehouse sector is also reflected in economic data: transport and logistics now account for a larger share of Poland’s GDP than agriculture and raw material extraction combined. This means that efficiently operating warehouses are now one of the prerequisites for maintaining supply chain continuity, stable state operations, and economic security.</h1>&nbsp;<h2 style="text-align:justify;">The Invisible Foundation of the Economy</h2>For decades, warehouses have played a critical role in the economy, although their importance remained overshadowed by more visible sectors. The situation changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chain disruptions affected almost everyone – from individual consumers to major corporations. For the first time on such a large scale, it became evident how heavily the modern economy depends on the uninterrupted operation of logistics infrastructure.<blockquote>“The pandemic clearly demonstrated that without efficiently functioning supply chains, problems with the availability of essential goods begin to emerge. That was the moment when the importance of warehouses became visible to everyone. If we are talking about economic security, they must be viewed as more than just commercial real estate. They are infrastructure that ensures continuity of supply, supports industry and trade, and in times of crisis becomes one of the foundations of economic resilience,” explains Tomasz Mika, Head of Industrial Agency at JLL.</blockquote>The period of rapid expansion in the warehouse market has slowed, but the current stabilisation does not mean stagnation. Tenant activity remains strong – according to a JLL report, demand for warehouse space in Q1 2026 reached 1.6 million sq m. The sector is now entering a phase of transformation in which flexibility and the ability to adapt to rapidly changing economic, technological, and geopolitical conditions are becoming crucial. Recent years have shown that crises are no longer temporary disruptions but a permanent feature of the business environment. As a result, warehouses are increasingly being designed not only to meet current tenant needs, but also to remain ready for future changes and new functions.<h2 style="text-align:justify;">The End of Simple Advantages – Demographics Are Changing the Rules of the Game</h2>In the coming years, demographic change and the shrinking working-age population will become one of the greatest challenges for the Polish economy. The 25–44 age group – crucial both for the labour market and consumption – is declining particularly rapidly. According to Statistics Poland (GUS) forecasts, by 2035 this group will shrink by around 2 million people, equivalent to the current population of Warsaw.JLL data illustrates the scale of the challenge. Between 2019 and 2025, warehouse stock in Poland more than doubled, while the working-age population in key logistics hubs declined by around 8%. During the same period, the average unemployment rate in the largest logistics hubs fell to approximately 3%, meaning labour reserves have been virtually exhausted.There is also growing concern over the potential outflow of workers who entered the Polish labour market following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The end of the conflict and reconstruction projects will generate massive flows of goods from European ports through Poland eastward, driving demand for transport and warehouse space. At the same time, the sector must prepare for the possible departure of tens of thousands of workers. For the industry, this would create double pressure – rising demand combined with declining labour availability.This situation will force a restructuring of the sector’s operating model. For years, its growth was driven by a combination of a large consumer market, favourable location, and relatively competitive labour costs. Those advantages are not disappearing, but they are no longer sufficient.<h2 style="text-align:justify;">Designing for an Unknown Future</h2>Automation is the natural response to a shrinking labour market. In practice, however, the development of such solutions has proved more difficult than many predicted just a few years ago.The most advanced facilities now operate as fully automated warehouses, where processes take place without human involvement. Various types of robots handle goods reception, sorting, picking, and loading. Such projects demonstrate what technology is already capable of, but they do not change the fact that widespread implementation still faces significant barriers.The market currently offers several competing artificial intelligence and robotics platforms, and companies are hesitant to invest in solutions that may become obsolete or incompatible with future systems within a few years. Costs also remain a major challenge – prices for basic warehouse robots currently range from USD 50,000 to USD 300,000 per unit. For automation to become a mainstream solution, these costs will need to fall significantly.<blockquote>“At present, Poland still has relatively few fully automated warehouses. What we are seeing instead is the growing implementation of automation at selected stages of the process. This is not a binary approach: either fully manual or fully automated. Most developments are happening somewhere in between. At the same time, we are moving away from designing warehouses for one specific user – this way of thinking dominated the market for too long. Today, flexibility and creating facilities resilient to changing functions and tenants are what matter most,” emphasises Jan Kaliński, Senior Business Development Director at Hillwood.</blockquote>The most likely scenario is a hybrid model – modular and portable solutions that can be implemented gradually. Such an approach reduces initial costs and shortens the investment payback period. Buildings are increasingly being designed so that automated systems can be installed or upgraded even while the facility remains operational. Proper infrastructure preparation, especially in terms of power supply, is becoming critical.<h2>Energy Is Redrawing the Investment Map</h2>Automation, artificial intelligence systems, air conditioning, and advanced lighting systems all require increasing amounts of electricity. As a result, the warehouse sector is becoming ever more closely linked not only to logistics, transport, and technology, but also to energy infrastructure.<blockquote>“One of the most important structural changes in recent years is the growing importance of energy. For years, location was the priority. Today, it is location, energy, and access to increasingly large connection capacities. Warehouses are no longer just buildings or logistics back-office facilities. They are a strategic component of economic development. Energy consumption in modern logistics parks is now comparable to that of the largest industrial users. The problem is that legal regulations are not keeping pace with market realities and the structure of modern commercial real estate,” says Paweł Sapek, Senior Vice President and Regional Head for Central Europe at Prologis.</blockquote>Technological progress means not only higher power demand, but also the need to design facilities in a more flexible and scalable way. Warehouse rooftops are also becoming increasingly important as locations for photovoltaic installations. Modern facilities are no longer merely consumers of energy – they are increasingly becoming part of the energy infrastructure itself. In practice, the attractiveness of a warehouse project is now determined not only by geographic location and land quality, but also by the ability to secure sufficient grid connection capacity.Energy is becoming the sector’s bottleneck, and in many locations access to power is beginning to determine whether a project can be developed at all. Without legislative changes and grid modernisation, within a few years the problem may affect not only new projects, but also the operation of existing facilities.<h2>Warehouses in the National Security System</h2>The future of the warehouse market will be shaped not only by economic and technological factors, but also by geopolitics. Potential armed conflicts or international crises may require logistics infrastructure to perform functions far beyond purely commercial activity. Warehouses are increasingly becoming de facto civilian security buffers – storing products critical to the functioning of the economy, which may determine whether it continues operating or comes to a halt in emergency situations.<blockquote>“The war in Ukraine has clearly shown that the efficiency of the state and the economy in crisis situations is determined by logistics. This is not only about military transport, but above all about the ability to rapidly move food, medicines, fuels, and equipment necessary to maintain operational continuity. That is why warehouses are increasingly being viewed as part of strategic infrastructure. It is not only their size that matters, but also their distribution, accessibility, and ability to quickly distribute goods across different parts of the country,”&nbsp;comments Daniel Puchalski, Managing Partner and Founder of Immo Lab.</blockquote>The issue of strategic warehousing is becoming increasingly prominent both in industry discussions and at the level of public administration. The experience of Scandinavian countries, where the concept of “total defence” operates, demonstrates that the logistics sector can be deliberately planned as an element of national resilience. Poland still lacks formal regulations in this area, but the first initiatives – both public and private – are beginning to emerge.<h2 style="text-align:justify;">Time for Conscious Decisions</h2>The Polish warehouse market is at a turning point. Demographic challenges, still-high costs of advanced automation, limitations in energy access, and geopolitical uncertainty are all structural issues that will not resolve themselves. They require thoughtful, long-term decisions from both the private sector and public institutions. To ensure operational continuity and development potential over the next decade, action must be taken now.JLL experts forecast that in response to these challenges, the sector will evolve from a model based on low labour costs to one driven by technology and infrastructure. Automation, access to energy, proximity to transport routes, and the strategic location of facilities will become increasingly critical. This transformation also creates new opportunities. Projects with secured energy access will command higher market value. Flexible facilities designed for automation will achieve stronger returns. Market participants that respond effectively to these trends will gain a competitive advantage.The industry is already responding: developers are designing more modular space, owners are investing in automation and workplace standards, and tenants are increasingly extending leases in proven locations. Warehouses are no longer invisible back-office facilities – they have become a foundation of state stability. How the sector and public administration address today’s challenges will determine not only the future of logistics, but also the economic security of the entire country.&nbsp;

Modern warehouse building with a glass façade and loading area in a logistics park.