New industrial leasing activity remained robust in Q2 2023, totaling 11.5 million square feet, according to recent statistics from Cushman & Wakefield.

“Demand for industrial real estate in Dallas remains strong despite the slowing economy, as evidenced by the recent big deals by Southwire and Dollar General,” said David Eseke, executive managing director and industrial tenant advisory and leasing leader for the Dallas office. “The manufacturing, aerospace and defense as well as food/beverage industries continue to be some of the most active tenant segments in the market. With the continued population growth in the DFW market, we expect absorption to continue at 2019 levels or above.”

Net absorption totaled 3.5 million square feet for the quarter with notable move-ins including Hayes Company (904,495 square feet), Kenco (489,310 square feet) and LL Flooring (457,363 square feet) (Note: Cushman & Wakefield defines absorption as when the tenant takes occupancy.)

“On the supply side, the under-construction number continues to fall as projects deliver. Most of the new product is of the bulk variety and is focused mostly in South Dallas, East Dallas and Alliance. New starts in these submarkets are unlikely but there are several smaller infill developments in core submarkets that will be kicked off later this year,” Eseke added.

The market currently has 70.0 million square feet of industrial space under construction. Development activity is focused on South Dallas (13.4 million square feet), Alliance (12.5 million square feet) and East Dallas (million square feet). During Q2 2023, 13.3 million square feet of industrial space was delivered.

The overall vacancy rate in DFW totaled 6.8% in Q2. Notable leases include Southwire, (1.07 million square feet), Dollar General (1.0 million square feet) and Kimberly Clark (874,214 square feet).