Demand slumps for portside warehouse space, Cushman & Wakefield says

Despite strong U.S. container import volumes, warehouse vacancy rates near seaports rose 20 basis points to 7.7% through July, up from year-end 2025 and above the national rate of 6.8%, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

The reasons for the empty warehouse space include shifting distribution networks and an oversupply of new warehouse supply, the commercial real estate firm said in a report titled “From Port to Property: Resilient Import Volumes Amid Shifting Trade Patterns and Industrial Demand.”

The drop-off in rental rates came as imports at 10 major U.S. maritime ports increased 0.5% year over year through July, exceeding 14.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). And monthly imported container volumes exceeded 2 million TEUs in May, June and July.

But instead of renting inventory storage space at ports, companies have been storing their goods elsewhere. In fact, inland markets captured 83% of U.S. industrial net absorption in the first half of 2026, their highest share since 2010.

This story was originally published by Supply Chain Quarterly. Read the full story at Supply Chain Quarterly →