E commerce electrifies and energizes Dallas industrial market

​​DFW – E commerce business helped fuel the demand for warehouse leasing in North Texas in second quarter 2016.

Fueled in part by the growth of Internet retailing, demand for warehouse, and distribution space in North Texas continues to outpace new supply.

During 2Q2016, net leasing for Dallas-Fort Worth warehouse space added up to 6.6 million sf—one of the highest net leasing totals in the last decade, according to commercial real estate firm CBRE.

"A fair percentage of it is definitely e commerce related," said CBRE senior vice president Steve Trese. "Dallas is one of the most diverse economies in the country.”

Builders delivered 6.2 million sf of industrial space during 2Q2016.

And more than half of the new warehouse buildings were already leased, CBRE found.

Almost 21 million sf of industrial buildings remain under construction in North Texas, one of the highest warehouse building volumes in the country. 

The largest construction areas are Arlington, southern Dallas County, and North Fort Worth.​​

Even with the huge construction, the total vacancy for industrial buildings in the area has fallen to 6.4 percent in the second quarter.