The development of the last mile in the main global logistics centers is based on the final leg of the goods delivery process, and can range from a few blocks to much longer distances until the goods reach the last point of the supply chain. distribution, which may well be retail stores, restaurants, other businesses or the final consumer.

This concept is also known as capillary distribution, since it resembles the final branches that reach the hands of the final consumer.

In the case of the main Mexican cities, the sustained growth of electronic commerce, which according to the Mexican Association of Online Sales (AMVO), registered a growth of 27% at the end of 2021 compared to the end of 2020, has once again placed Mexico for the third consecutive year in the top 5 countries with the highest growth in retail e-commerce.

Among the most populated centers in the country we have the Valley of Mexico, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Veracruz and Puebla, and in all of them there is an important industrial fabric where large Distribution Centers or CEDIS and warehouses are located on the outskirts.

In turn, the AMVO study of 2021 indicates that the consumer considers critical points of damage to the merchandise, non-compliance with delivery times, lack of personalization of delivery times, and ignorance about guarantee policies, keeping these situations important correlations. with the development of the last mile.

Check here: Monterrey dominates the demand for industrial spaces in the country

In the case of the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City, at the end of 4Q 2021, industrial demand was concentrated in 80% of the submarkets that make up the CTT (Cuautitlán, Tultitlán and Tepotzotlán), where the logistics business maintained an important participation by companies such as Mercadolibre, DHL, Home Depot and 99 Minutes, among others.

Other submarktes such as Tlalnepantla and Vallejo located to the northwest of the city have aroused interest for last-mile warehouses and as of February 2022 we found more than 76 industrial properties on the Solili platform ranging from 400 to 31 thousand square meters.

Reducing the time of transfer and delivery under original conditions of the order to places of greater demand as well as generating cost savings are advantages that these locations exhibit.

In the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the total leased area in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 117,000 square meters, and during the first two months of 2022, 25,000 square meters of gross absorption have already been registered.

During 4Q 2021, the El Salto corridor accounted for 56% of gross demand, while three other submarkets, Periférico Sur, Lopez Mateo Sur and Zapopan Norte, accounted for 43% equally.

The national distribution in Guadalajara has the advantage of being the gateway for Asian merchandise since this market is two and a half hours from one of the most important ports in the country.

The competitiveness of the last mile centers in Guadalajara include the characteristics and equipment of the large-format industrial parks, such as advanced security systems and the development of technology for their operation.

Of interest: Mexicali is consolidated as a solid, institutional and mature market in northwestern Mexico

Tijuana is another important city that, being on the border with the United States, has decisively triggered industrial demand that managed to reach nearly 770 thousand square meters in 2021, where 77% of the demand during 4Q 2021 was concentrated on the El Florido-Boulevard 2000.

In this entity, the submarkets closest to the residential and corporate centers would be the Otay-Alamar and the Mesa Vía-Rápida, where vacancy is currently practically nil and there would be possibilities to transform Class B and C real estate.

Finally, another phenomenon that began in 2021 and is still evolving in the main Mexican cities is the use of vacant spaces in shopping centers or large street stores, which have also been reformulated after the pandemic and are usually close to the consumer. where those on express roads that cross the cities are more desirable.

Fulfilling the promise of delivery in 24 hours requires having a network of CEDIS, warehouses and fulfillment centers that, together with last-mile centers and air distribution connections, have been the winning element of the large distribution chains in Mexico.