CHICAGO—Industrial and supply chain real estate occupiers and investors alike experienced a record-breaking year in 2015, and according to a new JLL survey, should expect this trend to continue well into 2016. The Chicago-based company says strong demand for logistics facilities should remain consistent globally during 2016 and rental growth should also continue across all markets of the world in 2016 and through 2017.

"Last year was like no other year on record, with historically high amounts of capital flowing into prime logistics real estate in key markets around the world, and there continues to be robust leasing by corporate tenants," says Craig Meyer, president, industrial brokerage and capital markets, JLL Americas. "Last year was a peak year, and although investor and occupier demand may not reach those unprecedented highs, all forecasts predict that and we will have another great year overall."

JLL surveyed 650 logistics real estate experts from across the globe, and found that most expect occupier and investor demand to remain healthy in many markets. The respondents also predict the following:

• Supply: The available supply will continue to contract, but developers will also add more class A product to the market. However, in 2016 demand will continue to exceed the supply of sophisticated supply chain real estate. Supply will probably increase in the Asia Pacific region, while the Americas remain slightly undersupplied, and EMEA reaches close-to-market equilibrium in the next six months.

• Rental Rates: Rent growth will continue, especially in EMEA and Asia Pacific. Rent growth was significant in all three major regions, particularly in the Americas. More than half of respondents from the Americas predict that rents will peak in their region in late 2016.

• Investor Demand: Demand for supply chain product will remain high. Demand for this real estate was extraordinarily high in JLL's 2014 survey, with a global positive balance of 74%, scored by the net of positive or negative responses as a percentage of all answers. In this survey that number dropped to 57%, but the responses still show that investors remain very attracted to the sector. Investor demand for the Americas remained unchanged in 2015, while demand dropped significantly in EMEA and Asia Pacific. Most respondents anticipate that property values will peak in the second quarter.

  "Taking a look at the expectations for broad rental growth, institutional investor interest and the demand for new class A product, we can predict 2016 to be a promising year for corporate occupiers, investors and developers around the globe," explains Meyer. "We are seeing investor demand being spread more evenly throughout the three regions, indicating a very strong 'steady state' in the coming months."