#139 Kevin Mofid, Head of Industrial & Logistics Research at Savills

Aug 21, 2025

Kevin Mofid, Head of Industrial & Logistics Research at Savills, brings a wealth of knowledge on the UK and European logistics markets. He delves into the evolving role of research in real estate, emphasizing its importance as a strategic tool. Kevin discusses the pressures on build-to-suit deals and rising vacancies despite strong demand. He highlights trends in nearshoring, speculative development, and the growing secondhand stock, ultimately providing insights on the future of industrial demand and the impact of online retail on logistics.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

From SimCity To Real Estate Research

Kevin Mofid entered real estate after selling GIS and logistics software and doing a GIS master's dissertation sponsored by Ordnance Survey.
Atis Real offered him a research role instead of buying the software, which launched his 20-year career in industrial and logistics research.

ANECDOTE

Turning Research Into A Sales Tool

Kevin describes collaborating across capital markets, agency, research and supply chain consultancy to use research as a business development tool.
That cross-discipline approach helped present richer market views to clients and win mandates.

INSIGHT

Existing Stock Outperforms Build-To-Suit

UK take-up in H1 2025 remains robust at 14.7m sq ft with strong demand for existing buildings and weaker build-to-suit demand.
Speculative completions and rising vacancy mean supply will likely stay elevated through H2 2025.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Kevin Mofid, Head of Industrial & Logistics Research at Savills, joins me on the People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ this week.

We discuss his journey into real estate, the evolution of research in the sector, and key insights into the UK and European logistics markets.

Kevin shares his data-driven view of market trends, rental growth dynamics, build-to-suit versus existing stock, and the increasing importance of supply-side fundamentals when making investment decisions.

If you're active in the industrial or logistics real estate market across the UK & Europe, and you're interested in data-driven decision-making, or the forces shaping demand and supply in the sector, this episode is for you.

Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

· Kevin's unconventional path into real estate, and his pivotal early career moves

· The evolution of research from a back-office function to a front-line, strategic, in demand tool

· What the UK logistics data is really showing, and why build-to-suit deals are under pressure

· Rising vacancy in a market with strong demand, and what that disconnect tells us

· Speculative development trends, and how they're shaping short-term supply risks

· Why second-hand stock is growing fast, and how much of it is actually usable

· The real drivers of industrial demand, and why retail still dominates

· Nearshoring, reshoring, and how they are reshaping long-term European strategy

· Rental growth that's defying historic vacancy relationships, and why

· The evolving role of AI in warehousing and supply chain decision-making

· Why smart investors are prioritising supply-side data over demand forecasts

· Kevin's take on the biggest risk facing the sector today, and the data point he's watching most closely

Enjoying the show? Follow and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.

The People Property Place Podcast 🎙️ is powered by Rockbourne: Giving real estate investors a difficult choice, who to hire.

If you're serious about hiring top real estate talent in 2025 and want to do it differently, DM me on LinkedIn.

#realestate #property #podcast #logistics #data #industrial