Rent and sale of cold warehouses

Entrepreneurs that are engaged in consumer goods production and sale need a reliable, unheated warehouse for storing production. It is an important part of the correct business organization. This choice determines profit growth and risks and losses reduction.

It is possible to rent a cold warehouse in many cities of Ukraine. It is a good option for companies that work with products that do not require special storage conditions.

There are all conditions for goods preservation without using a heating system in cold warehouses. They are most commonly used to store metal products (ferrous, non-ferrous, and alloys), wood products, building materials (including bulk and glazed tile), consumer electronics, special equipment, utensils, etc. Renting a cold (unheated) warehouse is advantageous for storing car tires, spare parts for different units, vehicles, PVC and other composite materials, wool, cotton, etc.

Warehouses without heating can be closed, semi-closed (one/two walls), open (most of them have only a roof).

A warehouse class defines the conditions of storage:

1. Minimum storage conditions are provided in Class C warehouses. These are basements, industrial areas, hangars. The ceiling height is low — from 4 meters. Floor covering is made from concrete or asphalt. There is no security or fire safety in such storehouses.
2. Class B and B+ warehouses are located in renovated facilities. They have more advantageous storage conditions. The minimum ceiling height is 6-8 meters. Convenient access for transport is provided. Platforms facilitate the goods movement. As a rule, such warehouses are well-developed: staff toilets, showers, etc. Twenty-four-hour security and fire protection are obligatory. Class B+ facilities are equipped with automatic gates, video surveillance and are located near highways or railways.
3. The premium class conditions provide Class A and A+ warehouses. These are modern complexes built on special projects. A floor covering is concrete with anti-dust impregnation. Bases withstand high loads. A ceiling height is significantly higher (at a minimum of 10-13 meters), which allows placing multistage shelving equipment. There is fire safety with fire alarm systems, video surveillance, and security 24/7 in such storage facilities. Access routes are considered and constructed. There are platforms for convenient loading/unloading. A parking lot for trucks can be arranged. In Class A+ warehouses, a trained warehouse team can be offered to a tenant.

Knowing the gradation of storage facilities, it is much easier to choose one that suits a particular business. It is difficult to say which warehouse is better without taking into account the individual requirements of a tenant.

Before deciding to rent an unheated (cold) warehouse, you know how the temperature changes depending on the weather conditions at different times of the year.

It is difficult to maintain a constant temperature throughout a warehouse space. The walls on the south side are well warmed during the day and the temperatures are higher than those on the north side. In the cold season, it will be warmer inside than outside and the relative humidity will be lower. During the warm season, the temperature will be lower and relative humidity will increase in a warehouse.

There is a relation within a storage facility:

• there are almost identical measures in the bottom row and the middle of one stack at low temperatures;
• at above-zero temperature, the most stable temperature is in the lower layers, and the temperature in the upper layers depends on outside factors.

In autumn and spring, unheated warehouses require increased ventilation. This is necessary to equalize ambient temperature with that of the products in a warehouse. Otherwise, in the spring, condensate is forming on the surface of the stored goods, and in the autumn the moisture will be collected inside and lead to goods spoilage. You should monitor ventilation and adjust it according to changes in ambient temperatures. If you open a door too often and loading/unloading periods are non-systematic, your freight may become raw. Temperature fronts move more intensively and, as a result, the humidity fluctuates and storage temperature conditions are broken.

It is important to take into account the optimal temperature and humidity options for goods that are stored in unheated warehouses. There are some examples:

• non-ferrous and ferrous products require humidity from 30% to 50%, temperature from +8°C to +12°C;
• tires and other rubber products require humidity from 50% to 60%, admissible temperature fluctuations of 0°C to +10°C;
• a storage temperature of textile products is from +10°C to +16°C; humidity must not exceed 60%;
• leather and leather goods require humidity 50%, and a temperature can vary from +5°C to +19°C;
• tea can be stored at a different temperature, but humidity must not exceed 60 percent;
• fish preserves, canned vegetables, and fruits are best stored at a temperature from 0°C to +10°C, humidity can reach up to 75%.

To avoid sudden temperature changes in a warehouse, you should open doors less frequently. When you distribute goods in a storehouse, you should take into account that the highest humidity will be closer to the floor, and in the upper layers, it is lower.

In winter, especially in severe frosts, you can use heating equipment, such as heat guns, if necessary.

In Ukraine, the rental cost of a cold (unheated) warehouse is relatively low compared to other warehouses. But price should not be the main criterion. It is important to find a good or acceptable storage facility.

Finding such premises is not an easy task. It is necessary to look at private advertisement boards and similar websites, get acquainted with offers from real estate agencies, and study local databases. However, cooperation with a dishonest individual often leads to trouble. To avoid risks, it is better to apply specialists who deal with logistics real estate. They help you choose the best option with proper price, class, convenient location, access roads availability, etc. Warehouses are evaluated according to several criteria. It is worth considering these factors:

• whether a warehouse meets the declared class requirements;
• the real dimensions of a facility and doorways;
• geographical location: proximity of highways, railway, remoteness from built-up area, etc.;
• condition inside: mold, cracks, other defects, and faults.

This allows establishing the fair cold warehouse rental cost.

WareTeka is a specialized platform for renting or buying storage facilities. We collect information about storage facilities from all over Ukraine. Here you can find a place to store goods in any locality of your region, district, or places where your company works.

Cold (unheated) warehouses can be rented in whole or in part. Each item in the catalog has a detailed description of its technical characteristics and features. An interactive map shows warehouse location advantages: distance from built-up areas, rail- and auto-ways, etc. Detailed filters enable selecting from the general list only those facilities that meet the required criteria.

Renting an unheated warehouse is the best solution for most companies. In some cases, however, it is also worth considering the possibility of a storehouse purchase. Especially if an enterprise needs cold storage for a long time.

It is necessary to choose a proper warehouse location. For example, if the proximity of ports is important, a business should pay attention to storehouses in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson. The purchase of an unheated (cold) warehouse in Kyiv and other big cities may become a great advantage for companies, that are interested in well-developed infrastructure and easy access to airports. If an enterprise is engaged in the eCommerce segment, it can invest in buying an in-city warehouse.

If you decided to buy a warehouse, pay attention to the following points:

• A warehouse must be located on land which is registered by the law;
• Availability of communications that ensure the proper warehouse functioning: water supply, wastewater disposal, electricity;
• Quality of access roads. This is ideal if an entry is individual. If a driveway is on a common area, it will be necessary to pay maintenance costs or for each incoming truck;
• A condition of a warehouse itself. If it is possible to inspect the building personally;
• Availability of all necessary documents such as ownership certificate, technical documentation.

If you don’t know where to buy a warehouse, you can go to a real estate agency. Specialists can find you a warehouse for a certain price. However, there are some details you should remember in this case as well. It is necessary to find a trusted broker with good feedbacks from clients. It is not as simple as it may seem. Besides, you do not have a complete picture of the logistics real estate market and see only the warehouses that the agency offers you.

You can look for a warehouse on websites with free ads. But you can find unverified information or irrelevant offers. Such websites do not check ads for their validity, so you risk wasting your time.

You can take advantage of our platform’s possibilities. This will simplify the search and reduce risks. On WareTeka you can see real photos of cold warehouses and their characteristics. Thanks to the interactive map it is easy to estimate the warehouse location profitability for a particular company.

On our platform, you can also rent a fresh warehouse.