The need for more large Logistics Centers in Thessaloniki, but also for speeding up the processes and infrastructures required by the state, was highlighted in the 7th Prodexpo North Conference.
However, according to the director of the US CBRE, Pol Marfa, Greece and especially Thessaloniki is becoming attractive to international users of logistics spaces, thanks to the affordable cost of rents and the also comparatively low labor costs.
“If a ship with 10,000 containers arrived at Thessaloniki, the city would be led to an impasse because there are no connections, roads, etc.,” Foris Kyrrilidis, Managing Director at Kuehne Nagel, Greece, said adding that the city needs warehouses with an area of 1000,000 and 200,000 sq.m. to be able to attract major “players” of international trade and logistics.
As he said, his company receives inquiries from India for the storage of goods, but the city does not have the infrastructure and the necessary large storage areas. Therefore, they prefer neighboring Bulgaria and Romania. He also warned about increasing competition on the part of Serbia after its accession to the EU.
According to Dimitris Tsitsamis, the president of the Hellenic Logistics Company (EEL) of Northern Greece and an executive of OLTH S.A., a series of critical projects, such as the connection of the port of Thessaloniki with the PATHE (Patras-Athens-Thessaloniki-Evzoni), the transformation of the Gonou camp into a Logistics Center, as well as the connection of the ΟLTH with the railway will give a breather to the city.
Morfa also referred to large margins that are evident in Greece in terms of the penetration of e-commerce in logistics facilities. As he said, the penetration of e-commerce in the area today amounts to an average of 15.85% in the EU, compared to 10.68% in Greece, with a higher sales growth rate in our country (4.72%), compared to united Europe (3.5%).
