Locations of logistics facilities for e-commerce: a case of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The rapid growth of the e-commerce market creates new dynamics in the logistics landscape, which has been evolving for decades in cities around the world. It is a challenge for businesses and planners to meet the high demand for logistics facilities for e-commerce order fulfillment and goods handling. In the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, mega-scale multi-tenant logistics facilities have been developed in both the port area near the urban center and the periphery of the city, while delivery service providers (DSPs) locate many last-mile delivery stations, varying in number depending on the urban density. We analyze the spatial distribution and location factors of both mega-scale multi-tenant facilities and last-mile delivery facilities in comparison with logistics facilities in general. We found that, due to the scarcity of land, newly developed multi-tenant facilities are more likely to be in less accessible places from the expressway network and the places where development has historically been limited. The result also indicates the heterogeneity of the distribution of DSPs' facilities, reflecting the heterogeneity in business strategies, which can be partially explained by the historical context.