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Jessica Fiur, Managing Editor

I admit it: This pandemic has turned me into Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

“I want a puzzle, and I want it NOW.”

“Where is my kettlebell?” *stomps foot*

“If I don’t get that air fryer today, I might scream!”

I’m certainly not the only one. According to Digital Commerce 360, in 2020 consumers spent $4,861.12 billion buying items online—a 44 percent year-over-year increase and the largest growth in two decades. And guaranteed, people wanted their purchases to arrive as soon as possible. After all, according to Statista, in 2019, 66.4 million U.S. households had Amazon Prime subscriptions. And that number is projected to increase by 10 million by 2022.

More than ever before, we all expect our online purchases to arrive next day. Anything later feels oppressive. What is this, the Stone Age?

Enter last-mile industrial centers. Companies are looking for ways to deliver goods faster and more efficiently. As IvyLee Rosario reports in “The Bid for Last-Mile Industrial,” consumer demand has led to a spike in last-mile industrial development.

That doesn’t come without its own issues, though. Last-mile industrial facilities are most needed in urban areas. And of course, that’s where there’s the least amount of land to add them, especially in major cities such as New York and Philadelphia.

“The challenge with infill locations is that there’s no land that’s undeveloped,” John Plower of JLL told Rosario.

But if developers are forced to move farther out, the transportation costs grow higher. Because of this, conversion has become a popular strategy, particularly at retail centers. It makes sense—as Rosario reports, malls and shopping centers are usually in highly populated areas, have ample parking and already feature high-dock doors.

Anything to get our packages when we want them—which is as soon as possible.

I hope you’re enjoying your summer, and that you enjoy our special summer issue of Commercial Property Executive. See you in September!