Apac logistic occupiers more cautious, but most still looking to expand: CBRE survey
Logistics tenants in Asia Pacific (Apac) remain positive in long-term service leads, in spite of expanding cautiousness in the middle of continuous trade regulation unpredictability. According to CBRE’s 2025 Asia Pacific Logistics Occupier Poll, near-term confidence amongst occupiers has decreased this year, with 69% anticipating business performance to enhance in the upcoming two years, compared to 81% in 2023.
Graeme puts in that government-led infrastructure financial investments, integrated with growth by top-tier logistics participants and robust resources inflows into modern logistics assets, are reinforcing Singapore’s role in the international supply chain.
CBRE’s poll also disclosed a change among occupants towards even more cost-driven real estate techniques. Participants rated lesser leas and better lease terms as the top factors influencing relocations and lease renewals, while many are also seeking closeness to transport hubs, consumer bases, and supply chains to enhance functional performance.
Nonetheless, growth desire differs across individual markets. Based on the report feedbacks, India, the Middle East and Korea captured the strongest net expansion interest at 66%, 49% and 40%, specifically. Vietnam (34%), Singapore (33%) and the Philippines (33%) registered the next-highest attention levels, followed by Thailand (28%) and Australia (25%).
Despite the unsure worldwide trade atmosphere, lots of tenants are looking further than temporary industry volatility, says CBRE. Some 76% of its survey respondents suggested strategies to broaden their property profile size in the following 3 to five years, signalling optimism throughout the tool- to long-term outlook and a solid cravings for development, the company includes.
The survey, which collected feedbacks from over 380 companies around Apac between March and April, identified that tenants in China mostly steered the more careful sentiment, because of prospective negative effects from tougher US trade laws. Just about 70% of participants in mainland China assessed trade uncertainty as their leading difficulty in the next 2 years.
According to CBRE, Singapore continues to stand out amongst logistics occupiers, particularly for hi-tech manufacturing and life technologies fields. “Singapore remains to draw worldwide occupiers, due to its reputation as a strategically positioned, neutral, and stable logistics center,” claims Graeme Bolin, CBRE’s Singapore head of occupier and leasing for industrial and logistics business.
In general, 44% of CBRE’s questionnaire respondents showed trade-related regulative challenges as a significant worry, up from 32% in 2023. Nonetheless, respondents continued to rate economic uncertainty and cost acceleration as the two greatest difficulties encountering occupiers in the next two years, at 60% and 56%, respectively.
