Home Insights Real estate How defense and infrastructure spending impacts European industrial and logistics
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The European industrial and logistics sector has withstood several challenges over the past years, including a moderation in occupier demand following pandemic-driven expansion, the energy crisis, and a sharp adjustment in capital values due to monetary tightening. In recent months, the sector has reached a new equilibrium and it is now leading other property types in the early stage of a real estate recovery cycle, supported by improving economic conditions and favorable structural trends.

The positive drivers making the case for industrial and logistics are well-documented and include e-commerce growth, automation, and tightening sustainability regulations. However, in this paper, we focus our analysis on a powerful new catalyst expected to shape the sector from 2026 onward: the significant fiscal stimulus for defense and infrastructure projects. We will present Germany and France as detailed case studies, to illustrate a broader positive trend poised to shape the European industrial and logistics landscape.

A new tailwind for European logistics

European industrial and logistics real estate is one of our highest-conviction investments. With nearly 40% of existing stock already over 17 years old and increasingly unfit for purpose, we anticipate that the demand-supply imbalance for modern logistics assets is set to widen over the coming years. In our Inside Real Estate Mid-Year Outlook, published in July, we outlined the key structural drivers supporting this thesis. On the supply side, tightening sustainability standards and land scarcity are expected to constrain future development, amid the increasing complexity of ground-up projects and the high cost of upgrading older assets to meet regulatory requirements. On the demand side, Europe’s relatively low (and uneven) e-commerce penetration, combined with the growing importance of warehouse automation and sophistication, is expected to support leasing activity, particularly for modern and energy-efficient assets located along the continent’s main logistics corridors and end-customer clusters.

More recently, a powerful new demand catalyst has started to emerge. The current geopolitical climate, marked by the war in Ukraine and the prospect of reduced U.S. engagement abroad, has fundamentally changed European priorities and its fiscal stance. Up to the end of 2024, markets were broadly anticipating a prolonged phase of fiscal consolidation in Europe, aiming at reducing the excess levels of government debt accumulated to support businesses and households coping with the negative effects of the global pandemic first and the energy crisis later. However, during the first months of 2025, the new strategic imperative of strengthening national security has prompted a decisive policy shift, with governments abandoning austerity in favor of increased investment in defense and infrastructure. This new direction was cemented during the last NATO summit in June, when most European members agreed to raise core military spending from the current 2.0% to 3.5% of GDP, plus another 1.5% in related infrastructure, by 2035.

Exhibit 1: European NATO members pledged to gradually increase defense spending to 3.5%

Additional capital required from current levels to reach the 3.5% annual target, $bn
Chart showing members of NATO and the amount of capital needed to increase their defense spending to 3.5% annually.

Source: SIPRI, Principal Real Estate, July 2025.

The end of German austerity supports a renewed positive outlook for industrial and logistics

The German industrial and logistics real estate sector endured a prolonged period of cyclical headwinds. The German economy was the most exposed to the energy crises that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, due to its geographical proximity, lack of alternative energy sources, and a heavy exposure to the manufacturing sector, including energy intensive heavy industries—such as chemicals, metals production, and building materials—whose competitiveness relied upon the availability of cheap fossil fuel imports from Russia. Meanwhile, the automotive sector, a pillar of the German economy accounting for 5% of its GDP and roughly 15%-20% of its exports, has also been under strain amid growing global competition, particularly from Chinese EV brands, and declining new car registrations. Thus, when the ECB started to restrict its monetary policy, both investor sentiment and occupier demand for industrial space weakened.

Exhibit 2: German logistics rental growth outpaced inflation over the last three years

Industrial/logistics annual rental growth and CPI, percentage change

Chart showing rental growth alongside CPI in Germany.

Source: MSCI, Colliers, Principal Real Estate, Q2 2025.

France’s prominence in the global defense and aerospace sectors sets the stage for industrial and logistics upside

In France, the industrial and logistics real estate market experienced a clear moderation over the last three years, following a record demand in 2021. The market was initially buoyed by a surge in e-commerce and supply chain restructuring during the pandemic, which drove high levels of take-up and development. However, as the pandemic-driven momentum naturally subsided, logistics take-up in the key city markets declined for three consecutive years to more normalized levels, down from 2.4 million sq. meters in 2021 to around 1.3 million sq. meters in 2024, according to PMA. The moderation was mostly driven by the larger format as occupiers grew more selective in response to changing market conditions and a worsening operating environment, including rising borrowing costs and weakening consumer confidence. Fortunately, France was less exposed to the energy price shock that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, due to its exposure to nuclear power—between 70% and 80% of the country’s electricity supply is generated from nuclear sources. This favorable energy mix reduced France’s exposure to volatile gas prices, helping to keep inflation at more manageable levels. While inflation exceeded 11% in Germany, Italy, and the UK, it peaked at just 7.3% in France, placing less pressure on household disposable income and companies’ profit margins.

Going forward, we believe increasing government spending for defense projects is set to sustain industrial and logistics real estate demand further. France has less fiscal room compared to Germany due to a much higher debt-to-GDP ratio of 113% (behind only Greece and Italy) and a budget deficit of 5.8% of GDP (far higher than the EU limit of 3 per cent). Finding the capital required to incrementally rise core military spending from the current 2.1% of GDP to 3.5% by 2035 may prove challenging. However, even assuming very conservative projections, it is reasonable to believe that French firms will benefit equally from soaring demand overseas. This is because France is a major global player in the defense and aerospace industries, with a very strong orientation towards exports, which account for 82% of the industry’s consolidated turnover. For example, France is the world’s largest exporter of aircrafts and spacecrafts, and the world’s second largest exporter of arms, after the United States. Indeed, France’s industrial base comprises several leading international companies, such as Airbus, Dassault Aviation and Thales, supported by roughly 5,000 small-medium enterprises. Overall, these firms provide a full spectrum of military production capabilities, ranging from small tactical weapons to nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and other advanced systems that are difficult to source elsewhere in Europe. Thus, the effects of growing domestic and international demand should produce a significant positive impact. French companies are already racing to hire new staff and ramp up production.

Exhibit 3: France is the World’s second-largest aerospace exporter

Top 5 aerospace exporters, $bn, 2024
Chart showing top 5 aerospace exporters in 2024.

Source: Bloomberg, World’s top exports, Principal Real Estate, June 2025.

Conclusion

The European industrial and logistics real estate market has found a new equilibrium, following a rapid expansion during the pandemic and a prolonged period of macroeconomic uncertainty. The occupier market has now stabilized and is positioned for further improvement, underpinned by structural drivers such as e-commerce growth, automation, tightening ESG regulations, and a slowdown in new supply. Additionally, the mobilization of capital towards defense and infrastructure projects is set to provide a powerful new catalyst for demand, particularly in and around key logistics hubs and defense-aerospace clusters, as illustrated in the cases of Germany and France.

Meanwhile, capital values have already rebounded by 4% as of Q1 2025, after a peak-to-trough correction of 21%, indicating the market has entered the early stages of a new cycle. With investor sentiment improving and debt once again accretive, conditions are in place for the recovery to gain momentum. Thus, we believe, the second half of the year offers a compelling entry point for investors seeking to secure durable income and long-term capital appreciation in a sector with robust fundamentals and solid growth prospects.

For more on European industrial and logistics real estate sectors and how defense and infrastructure spending is impacting European countries, access the full report here.

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