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Our attitudes about food and beverage influence the brands we purchase, how we socialize, where we shop – and sometimes even where we live. Our expectations are high when it comes to product mix and availability. While food transport has been occurring for centuries, modes of delivery, advances in food safety, and time-sensitive supply chains have evolved to meet changing preferences across broad geographies. New trends can permanently alter consumer behavior and ultimately drive monumental business decisions. Case in point: cold storage. This industrial niche is exploding due to a confluence of factors. First, growing demand for food and beverage through e-commerce channels – which was greatly intensified during Covid-19 – shows no sign of abating. With many having more time to browse online at home, shopping habits ingrained over the past six months will likely stick for a good portion of the population, and this requires strict preservation safeguards to avoid health hazards. At the same time, consumers’ desire for more natural foods with fewer chemical preservatives requires increased dependence on refrigeration for product transportation and storage. There is intense focus on increasing efficiencies, lowering costs and building flexibility into the distribution centers equipped to store food and beverage. Today e-commerce is powered not only by convenience, but also by heightened attention to health amid a pandemic. The challenge is twofold: getting product to consumers quickly is vital in meeting expectations for instant gratification, but even more important is ensuring the quality and safety of what is delivered. Like every real estate sector, investment in cold storage presents pros and cons. On one hand, grocery stores generate low profit margins and must rely on volume. Overhead costs – especially labor – are high, so e-commerce solutions make sense. On the other hand, refrigerated storage facilities are expensive to […]