Logistics drives big demand for county

The world of logistics has been under the spotlight recently - primarily due to the HGV driver shortage causing pressure on supply chains.

Yet the industry in the county continues to flourish, with recent data from the Office for National Statistics revealing the logistics and distribution sector has grown by more than 60% in just five years.

Over the same period, it has created 2,000 jobs across Kent and Medway, with 3,600 firms now operating in the sector.

Much of it driven by the on-going boom in e-commerce; a trend only accelerated during the pandemic.

Gravesham, Dartford, Medway, Maidstone, and Swale are performing above the national average in terms of sector size, contributing to an industry that has seen a 48.1% increase in GVA (gross value added) countywide since 2000. That figure, as of 2018, stood at an estimated £2.3bn per year.

Gavin Cleary, CEO of inward investment agency Locate in Kent, says it is down to the availability of lower cost industrial and commercial spaces on brownfield sites, increased housing development across the county and our strategic location between London and Europe.

He adds: “And we’re seeing no sign of that easing as the UK emerges from the pandemic with continued strong demand. We have a number of exciting new sites coming through between now and the end of 2023, with a significant number already pre-let.”

Big names such as Amazon and TNT, have set up bases, as well as the development of sites such as the Panattoni development in Aylesford and Kingstanding in Tunbridge Wells.

Gavin Cleary, of Locate in Kent, says the county is cashing in on distribution sites with the likes of Amazon and, above, the Kingstanding development in Tunbridge Wells among them