Americanas Returns 20% of Warehouses for Its E-Commerce Product Storage, Vacating a Total of 159,000 Square Meters of Space

The Company Had Already Been Returning These Storage Spaces Before the Bankruptcy Filing

A giant in e-commerce, Americanas had already been returning warehouses for product storage before the bankruptcy filing in January. Earlier this year, the company continued the returns: it closed a distribution center in Fortaleza (CE). Thus, operations in Ceará will now be based at the distribution center in Recife (PE).

The reduction and return of storage spaces by Americanas has become a concern for companies managing logistics warehouse condominiums. This attention is even greater for warehouses located in areas where the vacancy rate is already high or where the store network has a large share in occupying the warehouses. In these cases, the return of warehouses may impact rents.

159 Thousand m2 of Space Used for Storage in MG, SP, and RJ Were Returned in 2022

A survey conducted by SDS Properties – a real estate agency specializing in warehouses in logistics condominiums – in Brazil reveals that in 2022 Americanas occupied up to 830,000 square meters (m²) of storage space.

After that, 159,000 m2 located in Betim (MG), Resende (RJ), Cajamar (SP), and Ribeirão Preto (SP) were vacated. That is, from the total space used, the company returned practically 20%.

According to the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, an additional 69,000 m² in logistics storage condominiums will be returned by Americanas this year, located in Greater Curitiba (PR), Greater Porto Alegre (RS), and Hortolândia (SP).

Expert Says Warehouse Returns May Impact Prices in Markets

Simone Santos, CEO of the real estate agency and responsible for the survey, says that “returns can affect prices in markets where vacancy is high.” Of all the returns made so far, she points out this risk for Porto Alegre (RS), where the vacancy rate reaches almost 17%. The city has a rate well above the national average of 10.4%, the expert says.

However, Simone states that in other regions, such as Greater Curitiba (PR), São Paulo, and Greater Belo Horizonte (MG), the impact of returns tends to be smaller since these are highly demanded areas.

Of the locations where Americanas has rented warehouses, whose returns could impact the market if they occur, Simone indicates Recife (PE) and Pará, where the network occupies 10% and 50% of the local inventory, respectively. Rio de Janeiro also catches her attention, where the company occupies about 80,000 m² of warehouses and the city has one of the highest vacancy rates in Brazil, at 16%.