Retailers could take as much as 50m sq ft of warehouse space over the next five years, driven by the growth of online retailing, says Savills.

The agent says 13m sq ft of that take up will come from the expansion of e-tailing operations.

The total predicted take-up represents a 21% increase on the previous five years, which had a total take-up of 41.3m sq ft.

The figures are the result of a industry survey by Savills in partnership with Transport Intelligence. It found that almost a quarter of retailers and logistics providers anticipated e-tailing to increase by a further 25% during the next 12 months.

Richard Sullivan, national head of industrial and logistics at Savills, said: "The continuation of a centralised distribution model by retailers and logistics providers, whether solely for e-tailing or multi-channel use, reinforces the need to maintain a supply of big sheds. With limited Grade A stock, the next five years will present encouraging possibilities for strategic land holdings.

"Of the total number of all survey respondents, 43% favoured the East Midlands, compared with Greater London, which was the first choice for 17%. Meanwhile, an increase in requirements for local e-fulfilment centres on edge of town locations could spark the revival of 'traditional' suburban industrial estates, breathing new life into warehouses deemed redundant."

The 'trigger' point for a dedicated e-fulfilment warehouse is a key statistic, says Savills and, on average, retailers considered it necessary to introduce a dedicated centre when between 10-25,000 sq ft was required for e-fulfilment.

"The e-tailing growth market is a complex sector which isn't all about the big retailers and there is no single defined distribution model for the future of e-tailing in the UK," said research director Steven Lang. "The rise of 'dark stores' and 'click & collect', coupled with the further demands for reverse logistics, provides a multitude of warehousing needs, for all types of retailing models. Add in the potential to serve customers internationally and the models increase in scale and complexity."