For the first half of 2026, the REALOGIS Group registered a total take-up of approximately 1.52 million square metres across its defined eight top locations. These locations include Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne, the Ruhr Area, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart. The majority, comprising 1.38 million square metres or 91 per cent, was accounted for by pure warehouse space. Office space made up 89,050 square metres (6 per cent), while mezzanine space totalled 54,950 square metres (3 per cent).
The Ruhr Area contributed the largest share to the total take-up with 255,500 square metres or 17 per cent. Frankfurt am Main followed with 245,400 square metres (16 per cent), while Berlin achieved 211,000 square metres (14 per cent). These figures highlight the continued importance of these regions as central hubs for logistics and industry in Germany.
In terms of prime rents, the first half of 2026 showed a trend towards stabilisation. Munich maintained the highest prime rent at EUR 13.50 per square metre, which did not change compared to the first half of the previous year. This interrupted the upward trend that had been in place since 2022. Berlin held second place with an unchanged EUR 10.50 per square metre. Frankfurt and Stuttgart were level at EUR 8.70 per square metre each. The highest rent increase among all top locations was recorded in Frankfurt with 5 per cent, while Stuttgart showed an increase of 2 per cent. Hamburg reached EUR 8.50 per square metre, an increase of 1 per cent. The lowest prime rent was registered in the Ruhr Area at EUR 7.75 per square metre.
Average rents were also led by Munich, which recorded a moderate increase of 2 per cent to EUR 9.20 per square metre. Berlin followed with a stable EUR 8.10 per square metre. Hamburg moved up to third place with a 12 per cent increase to EUR 7.30 per square metre, marking the strongest price development in this segment. The Ruhr Area continued to show the lowest average rent at EUR 6.50 per square metre.
The majority of the take-up was generated by rental agreements, accounting for 1.47 million square metres or 97 per cent of the total take-up. Owner-occupiers were responsible for 50,400 square metres (3 per cent). In terms of property types, big-box spaces dominated the market activity with 846,200 square metres (56 per cent) of the total take-up. Properties that were classified neither as big-box spaces nor business parks comprised 479,300 square metres (31 per cent), while business parks accounted for 194,300 square metres (13 per cent).
Companies from the logistics/forwarding sector were the largest occupiers in the first half of 2026, utilising 691,300 square metres, which represents 45 per cent of the total take-up. Industry and production followed in second place with 377,100 square metres (25 per cent), followed by retail with 331,800 square metres (22 per cent). Within retail, e-commerce dominated with 229,350 square metres (69 per cent of retail space take-up). The 'Other' category represented the smallest share of user groups with 119,600 square metres (8 per cent).
Large spaces from 10,001 square metres upwards shaped the market activity and reached 794,140 square metres, accounting for 52 per cent of the total take-up. This size category was the strongest in terms of take-up in all top locations, with the exception of Munich. Spaces between 5,001 and 10,000 square metres followed with 311,450 square metres (20 per cent). Medium-sized spaces between 3,001 and 5,000 square metres comprised 208,390 square metres (14 per cent). Smaller spaces between 1,000 and 3,000 square metres contributed 163,750 square metres (11 per cent), while very small spaces under 1,000 square metres played a lesser role with 42,070 square metres (3 per cent).
