Warehousing & Logistics in Leicester & Derby
Find and compare verified warehouse, 3PL, and transport providers across East Midlands — where the M1 (J20-J26), M69, M6 meet.
About Leicester & Derby
Leicester & Derby sit at the heart of the UK's Golden Triangle, the logistics concentration between the M1, M6 and M69 motorways that draws more national distribution investment than anywhere else in the country. Drive the M1 between junctions 20 and 26 and the scale of the commitment is visible: two of Europe's largest logistics developments, an operational inland freeport and an international air cargo airport occupying the same ten-mile stretch of motorway.
Magna Park Lutterworth, owned by GLP, is Europe's largest dedicated logistics and distribution park. More than 13.7 million sq ft of warehousing across 50 buildings on 1,400 acres serves occupiers including Amazon, Asda, Toyota, Disney and DHL. In July 2025 GLP completed MPN 761, the park's 50th building at 761,000 sq ft, built to BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A+ standard. Marq Logistics leased the unit to Bleckmann in April 2026, the supply chain management group's fourth building in the UK.
SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway, at M1 J24 adjacent to East Midlands Airport, has delivered more than 4.5 million sq ft with Phase 1 now fully occupied. Maersk established its UK centre of excellence here in 2023, taking 685,000 sq ft. DHL occupies close to 900,000 sq ft across two facilities. The 50-acre Strategic Rail Freight Interchange operated by Maritime Transport runs intermodal services to Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton. SEGRO's Phase 2 proposals, covering up to 3.5 million sq ft, entered the planning examination stage in March 2026.
East Midlands Freeport, the UK's only inland freeport, centres on SEGRO EMG and East Midlands Airport and has been fully operational since March 2023. Its business plan targets 28,000 jobs and over £1 billion in investment by 2031. East Midlands Airport, which sits at the centre of this cluster, reported a 37% year-on-year surge in cargo volumes in December 2025.
Why this region
The Heart of the Golden Triangle
Leicester and Derby sit at the optimum point for reaching the whole UK in a single delivery run. According to GLP, 85% of the UK population is accessible within a four-hour drive of Magna Park. A workforce of one million people lives within 30 minutes of the major parks. Four motorways converge here: the M1, M69, M6 and M42. This level of road coverage allows operators to run next-day delivery across the whole country from a single distribution point, which is why the Golden Triangle consistently takes the largest share of national take-up. Operators considering a single national hub default to this corridor above all others.
Magna Park: Europe Largest Dedicated Logistics Park
Magna Park Lutterworth spans more than 1,400 acres and contains over 13.7 million sq ft across 50 buildings, making it Europe's largest dedicated logistics and distribution park. Occupiers include Amazon, Toyota, Asda, Disney, DHL, Britvic, Bleckmann and more than 30 others. In July 2025 GLP completed MPN 761, the park's 50th building, at 761,000 sq ft with BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A+ ratings. Marq Logistics signed a lease with Bleckmann for the unit in April 2026. Build-to-suit plots remain available, including MPN 6 (840,000 sq ft) and MPN 7 (411,000 sq ft), alongside one immediately available speculative unit at MPS 5 (187,253 sq ft). The Centre for Logistics, Education and Research (CLEAR), established in partnership with GXO (formerly Wincanton) and North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, operates on the park.
East Midlands Gateway: SRFI and Freeport
SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is a 700-acre development at M1 J24 adjacent to East Midlands Airport. Phase 1 has delivered more than 4.5 million sq ft and is now fully occupied, with one remaining 70,000 sq ft plot available. Occupiers include Maersk (685,000 sq ft, UK centre of excellence), DHL (close to 900,000 sq ft across two facilities), Kuehne+Nagel (195,547 sq ft), Games Workshop (177,500 sq ft) and Amazon. The 50-acre SRFI handles rail freight to Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton. Phase 2, covering up to 3.5 million sq ft of further warehousing and approximately 4,000 jobs, entered the planning examination stage in March 2026. East Midlands Freeport status means businesses within designated zones can access customs deferment, simplified procedures and tax relief.
Air, Road and Rail in One Location
East Midlands Airport is the UK's largest dedicated air cargo hub by freight volume, handling 345,800 tonnes in the ten months to January 2026, up 15% year-on-year. In December 2025 alone, volumes rose 37% against the previous year. The airport sits directly adjacent to SEGRO EMG, with the M1 providing onward road distribution. The SRFI at SEGRO EMG adds rail connectivity to major ports. This combination of air, road and rail freight in a single corridor has no equivalent elsewhere in the UK and creates genuine multimodal logistics capability for international shippers.
Massive Development Pipeline With Net Zero Standards
GLP's development pipeline at Magna Park continues with two build-to-suit plots at Magna Park North: MPN 6 (840,000 sq ft) and MPN 7 (411,000 sq ft). Every recent GLP build targets BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding, with net zero carbon construction. SEGRO's Phase 2 proposals for East Midlands Gateway would add up to 3.5 million sq ft and around 4,000 jobs; the planning examination is scheduled to run until September 2026. Alongside these schemes, the East Midlands Freeport's £1 billion investment programme is unlocking further sites and infrastructure across the wider corridor.
Logistics capacity availability
Overview of warehousing and transport capacity across the region
Warehouse market overview
The Leicester and Derby corridor contains the densest concentration of large-format logistics space in the UK. Magna Park Lutterworth alone accounts for more than 13.7 million sq ft across 50 buildings on 1,400 acres, while SEGRO East Midlands Gateway has delivered over 4.5 million sq ft with Phase 1 now fully occupied. Demand across the East Midlands remained elevated in 2025. According to Savills, the region's logistics take-up in 2025 was 47% above the pre-pandemic long-term average (2007 to 2019), with third-party logistics operators accounting for 50% of activity. Build-to-suit transactions were up 108% on H1 2023 levels. Available supply across the East Midlands reached 14.88 million sq ft across 64 units, a 14% increase over the previous twelve months, with a vacancy rate of around 10%. The increase in vacancy reflects speculative completions rather than weakening demand: the Golden Triangle remains the preferred location for national distribution centre consolidation. GLP completed MPN 761 in July 2025 and the 761,000 sq ft unit was taken by Bleckmann in April 2026. SEGRO EMG Phase 1 reached full occupancy during 2025, with around 70,000 sq ft on Plot 13 remaining as the sole available floor space. For mid-sized requirements between 20,000 and 150,000 sq ft, established estates in Leicester, Loughborough and Derby provide more flexible options.
New developments
- Magna Park Lutterworth (GLP): 1,400+ acres, 50 buildings, 13.7M+ sq ft. MPN 761 (761,000 sq ft, BREEAM Outstanding, EPC A+) completed July 2025 and let to Bleckmann April 2026. Available: MPS 5 (187,253 sq ft, immediate). Build-to-suit plots: MPN 6 (840,000 sq ft), MPN 7 (411,000 sq ft). Joint agents DTRE and Cushman & Wakefield. - SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SEGRO): 700 acres, M1 J24. 4.5M+ sq ft delivered. Phase 1 fully occupied; Plot 13 (approx. 70,000 sq ft) available. Phase 2 (EMG2): up to 3.5M sq ft, 4,000 jobs, £325M investment. Planning examination commenced 10 March 2026, scheduled to close 10 September 2026. - East Midlands Freeport: UK's only inland freeport. Fully operational since March 2023. Zones covering SEGRO EMG, East Midlands Airport and Space Park Leicester. Third Freeport site in development near the airport in partnership with Prologis. 2025/26 business plan targets 28,000 jobs and £1 billion in investment by 2031. - Prologis DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal): M1 J18, approx. 30 minutes south. Established SRFI with extensive logistics estate.
Transport capacity
The Leicester and Derby corridor has the deepest concentration of logistics operators in the UK. National and global 3PLs including DHL, Kuehne+Nagel, Maersk, XPO and GXO (formerly Wincanton) operate major facilities across Magna Park and SEGRO EMG. Rail freight at SEGRO EMG connects directly to Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton via Maritime Transport's open-access SRFI. East Midlands Airport, the UK's largest dedicated air cargo hub, provides same-day air freight options and handled 345,800 tonnes in the ten months to January 2026. Seven new carriers launched at the airport during 2025, expanding the network further. Road connectivity is exceptional. Four motorways serve the corridor: M1, M69, M6 and M42. The A14 runs east to Felixstowe in approximately 2.5 hours. All the major parcel carriers, pallet networks and last-mile operators maintain local depots across Leicester, Loughborough and Derby.
Specialist capabilities
national distribution, e-commerce fulfilment at scale, rail freight/intermodal, air freight (EMA), automotive logistics, textile/fashion fulfilment, FMCG distribution, cold chain, pharmaceutical distribution, Freeport customs zones, returns management, contract packing
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FAQs
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The Leicester and Derby area sits at the centre of the Golden Triangle. According to GLP, 85% of the UK population is within a four-hour drive of Magna Park. It contains Magna Park (Europe's largest logistics park, 13.7M+ sq ft) and SEGRO East Midlands Gateway (4.5M+ sq ft with SRFI and Freeport). East Midlands Airport is the UK's largest dedicated air freight hub. One million people live within 30 minutes.
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