Gothenburg Named Top Swedish Logistics Location

The Gothenburg region tops the list when leading Swedish industry magazine Intelligent Logistik annually ranks Sweden’s best logistics locations. As Sweden’s largest cargo hub, the Port of Gothenburg plays a decisive role in the award according to the jury, who state that the port’s infrastructure, investment program and growing cargo volumes form a good basis for future growth in the region.

“It is an honourable award that we place great value on, and it is of course nice to be recognized together with the region’s other actors in the field of logistics. Together, we create conditions for a strong freight hub that strengthens Swedish competitiveness and is the guarantor of Swedish industry’s access to the world,” says Jacob Minnhagen, senior business developer at the Gothenburg Port Authority.

The Port of Gothenburg handles 53% of Sweden’s total container freight and volume growth is stable with nine straight quarters of increased container throughput. The container terminal operated by APM Terminals is particularly highlighted in the justification, as well as the growing freight train traffic where the port reached an all-time high in 2022.

Good establishment opportunities

Access to logistics areas is crucial for the functionality of a logistics region, and hence an important assessment criterion in the designation of Sweden’s best logistics location. The growth in logistics space has been exceptionally large in recent years, notes the magazine, and in the past year additional new land for logistics establishments has been added – both in areas close to the port, as well as locations just outside Gothenburg, like Landvetter and Borås.

“In the port, for example, we are developing the Halvorsäng Logistics Park together with Castellum just ten minutes from the quayside, it will be an important addition to port-side logistics. Then the growth of logistics areas is also good further out in the region, which is very important. Overall, the future looks bright for the Gothenburg region and there are good opportunities to establish yourself here as a logistics operator in the long term as well,” says Jacob Minnhagen.

The high-profile list of the best logistics locations in Sweden has been published since 2001. The ranking is founded on access to a logistics base, flows and geography, infrastructure, land access, know-how and skills, and the collaborative climate throughout the region. The Helsingborg Region and Jönköping Region were ranked second and third.

Excerpt from the citation:
“The Gothenburg region has long been Sweden’s logistics capital with an excellent distribution location with access to the Nordics’ largest container port, which stood strong even through the pandemic; with stable container volumes and greatly increased train freight volumes. Upcoming multibillion-crown investments in the port with a fairway deepening also provide good conditions for future growth. Gothenburg has historically had exceptional growth for logistics, a development which, however, slowed somewhat in 2022 when only approx. 70,000 square meters were added in the region. In the past year, however, new land for logistics establishments has been added both around Landvetter and at Hisingen.”