at London Gateway will be compelling for many businesses as it adds capacity to the market that will enable end users to reconfigure their supply chain."
Jones Lang LaSalle, National Director, National Industrial & Logistics, Cameron Mitchell, commented that the country could be facing a shortage of distribution facilities.
Cameron said: "There is a shortage of good quality distribution capacity looming as a result of a recession related lack of speculative builds over the last two years.
"We therefore welcome DP World London Gateway's commitment to offer a substantial common-user facility from which businesses can either benefit from incubator or shared space - whilst gaining flexibility in their supply chain - and if the business case is right for them to later move into their own facility."
Richard Meering, Senior Director, CBRE, added: "We welcome the London Gateway development."
"This, along with DB Schenker offering rail services from London Gateway to the Midlands, highlights the potential supply chain benefits that end users can gain by utilising London Gateway in conjunction with Midland's DCs alongside rail hubs such as DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal), Hams Hall and BIFT (Birmingham International Freight Terminal) at Birch Coppice"
Peter Ward concluded that the increasing size of containerships has caused supply chains to become longer and more costly. He explained how new ports and terminals around the world have been developed further away from population and manufacturing centres because of the need for deeper water that can accommodate these larger vessels.
Peter said: "London Gateway is bucking this trend, bringing a new deep water port closer to exporters and importers, not just in London but also Birmingham and the Midlands."