Any one that has followed the industrial market for the last few years knows that ecommerce has created the heyday of industrial real estate. The industry has created tremendous demand for industrial space and has driven vacancy rates to historic lows—sub 1% in certain L.A. submarkets—creating a frenzy for more space. Now, ecommerce might be helping to increase the supply. Brick-and-mortar retail closures are beginning to turn into industrial downsizing, since fewer fulfillment centers are needed to supply brick-and-mortar locations.

“I represent some large corporations, and they have told me that because online sales are killing their business, they are cutting back on brick-and-mortar retail locations as well as the distribution and fulfillment facilities that support those locations,” Chris Jackson, an executive managing director at NAI Capital, tells GlobeSt.com. “I think you are seeing that across the board.”

Some retailers—like Toys R Us—are closing all of their stores, spilling the corresponding industrial supply onto the market, but other retailers are simply downsizing their industrial needs as their brick-and-mortar retail portfolio shrinks in specific areas. “Some companies are trying to figure out how to downsize,” says Jackson. “They are finding that they need less industrial space. They are keeping a few facilities, and they are shutting the rest down.”