Szczecin, Rzeszów and Białystok took the top three places in the ‘Beyond the Hubs’ ranking, prepared on the initiative of Accolade together with REDD and Michael Page. The report identifies medium-sized Polish cities with strong potential for logistics, warehousing and manufacturing and shows that regional locations are increasingly being assessed as independent strategic choices.
Poland’s logistics and industrial property market is entering a more dispersed phase of development. For years, investment and tenant activity was concentrated mainly around the largest metropolitan areas and transport corridors. Regional cities are now gaining importance thanks to improving infrastructure, labour availability, competitive operating costs and room for further expansion.
Top 10 regional cities
The ranking covers medium-sized cities with populations of roughly 100,000 to 400,000, outside Poland’s largest logistics hubs. The top 10 are Szczecin, Rzeszów, Białystok, Zielona Góra, Lublin, Bydgoszcz, Opole, Kielce, Bielsko-Biała and Koszalin.
Szczecin, Rzeszów and Białystok lead
Szczecin ranked first with a score of 7.77. Its strengths include access to seaports, proximity to Germany and developed logistics infrastructure. The city is well positioned for cross-border trade, Baltic supply chains and industrial activity linked to manufacturing, offshore energy and the maritime economy.
Rzeszów placed second with 7.07. The city combines a strong industrial base, technical skills and growing relevance for nearshoring. Its position is supported by the Aviation Valley cluster, the Via Carpatia transport corridor and its strategic location on routes toward Ukraine.
Białystok ranked third with 6.06. As the largest economic centre in north-eastern Poland, it is strengthening its position in logistics, distribution and industrial activity while retaining room for further warehouse-market development.
Labour costs are no longer the only advantage
The report’s labour-market analysis, prepared with Michael Page, examined workforce availability, wage pressure, regional competition for employees and the skills base needed for logistics and manufacturing.
The key conclusion is that regional competitiveness can no longer be reduced to lower labour costs. Companies increasingly look at technical skills, infrastructure quality, the ability to relocate staff, automation potential and whether a city can retain workers over the long term.
Different cities offer different operating models
Zielona Góra benefits from its proximity to Germany and western Poland’s manufacturing base. Lublin combines a strong academic and economic environment with room for warehouse growth. Bydgoszcz offers a mature business setting and a useful position for distribution in northern Poland.
Opole benefits from its location between Wrocław, Silesia and Germany. Kielce can serve as a distribution point for south-central Poland. Bielsko-Biała has a strong industrial skills base, while Koszalin can develop further as a regional business and logistics centre in Central Pomerania.
How the ranking was built
The model was based on three pillars: economic potential, warehouse-market activity, and market maturity and operational significance. Economic indicators accounted for 55% of the final score, warehouse real estate for 30%, and market maturity for 15%.
The report was prepared by Accolade in cooperation with REDD and Michael Page.
