The Relocation Situation: Commercial Moving Trends & Solutions

Despite the dip in residential moving, the need for commercial relocation services remains strong in 2023 as businesses move to recover from the pandemic and its ongoing impact. Covid turned office parks into ghost towns, and urban areas across the US continue to experience high vacancies, including New York City where occupancy has recovered by less than 40 percent. Supply chain disruptions led to overstocked warehouses and difficulty transporting and storing goods. The impact on the workforce is significant, resulting in a dramatic increase in remote and hybrid workers. Major cities across the US are experiencing“brain drain” as talented workers migrate to more affordable areas with better job opportunities.

In response, businesses are now downsizing, reorganizing, consolidating, liquidating, and relocating to areas where they can operate more cost effectively and find pools of employees with the talent and skill they need most. This creates an increased demand for professional moving and transportation services. For most businesses, it’s a no-brainer to opt for a professional moving company that can oversee the myriad of details involved in packing, delivering, unloading, and installing an entire organization at a new location. But many companies have needs that go beyond these essentials, including those with complex IT systems, extensive inventory, fragile equipment or property, high security, and even employees that require relocation. These specialty needs require a higher level of support from experts in relocation.

Relocation can be a power move for businesses, a fresh start in a location that offers new opportunities for recovery and growth. To ensure a well-executed, seamless transition, it pays to understand current moving trends and explore the solutions employed by relocation specialists. 

Move Management is critical to ensure a smooth, stress-free relocation. There are unique factors facing businesses that want to make a move in 2023, such as fluctuating economic conditions, fuel costs, supply chain issues, worker health and safety regulations, transportation routes, and more. Strategic planning is required along with detailed coordination between staff, movers, transporters, and facilities. The most effective solution is to adopt a professional Move Management approach that provides a step-by-step plan and process that covers all the bases and ensures a successful relocation from start to finish.

Leverage the latest technology to increase transparency, reduce errors, and streamline relocation. Today’s automated tracking tools provide maximum control and visibility during the moving process. Top moving and transportation companies use sophisticated technology that provides automatic updates on delivery and status of the move. Logistics technology is of great benefit in the relocation process as it evaluates the many complex factors involved in a business move and determines the fastest, most cost-effective transportation and delivery options. Advanced software is used to lay out new office and work spaces. Easy tech solutions like digital photos and video footage of goods and property can also be used to provide virtual estimates and establish a record that offers better transparency for all parties. 

Employee relocation is on the rise, resulting in a demand for team-focused moves. A recent job survey indicated that 46% of people searched for a new job in a new location in the first half of 2023. In conjunction with steady income growth and a projected drop in housing costs in key areas, both companies and staff in high-tax, high-interest-rate cities are motivatedto consider relocation. The increase in remote workers has created the need for houses with dedicated office space, while hybrid staff need to live in a location where they can easily commute. Organizations are opting for specialized employee relocation services with a team approach that takes both staff and business needs into account.

Demand for eco-friendly moving and storage solutions is growing with no end in sight.Environmentally conscious companies look for options like recycled packing materials, e-waste services and biodiesel-powered trucks. Liquidation that involves recycling is an excellent option for eco-friendly companies. Waste reduction is a goal for many proactive businessesand one innovative way to achieve this during relocation is through transportation logistics, which can significantly cut fuel use. 

Look for professional moving companies with partners and connections. A company with affiliations within the transportation, moving, and storage industries can greatly facilitatebusiness moves, especially with today’s supply chain challenges. For example, commercial moving specialists like The Advance Group are partners of the Office Moving Alliance (OMA), Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA), and serve as award-winning Mayflower Transit agents. They also maintain positive relations with Unions and Warehousemen Associations. These established partnerships grease the wheels of a business move and greatly facilitate communications, reduce errors and issues, and provide support.

Companies relocating to another state greatly benefit from a nationwide mover with a network of connections and the ability to expand services based on the market. For example, a record number of companies are moving from New York to North Carolina and Florida. The Advance Group, based in NY, recently acquired the Florida-based Sorensen Moving & Storage to strengthen their service in the eastern US, creating a streamlined corridor and controlled network that significantly improves the ease and speed of relocation while reducing errors and costs.

Explore specialized moving and storage options. Many entities require specialized relocation services, such as laboratories, hospitals, tech companies, hotels, schools, museums, and manufacturers. IT support during relocation is critical for most companies as it involves everything from unhooking standard office equipment and properly discarding of e-waste, to decommissioning highly complex Trading Floor technology systems or Data Centers. 

Exceptional new services are being offered by top-tier movers, such as Telecom and Carrier coordination to set up communications at a company’s new location, Luxe Delivery with white glove support, and emergency pack-out for disaster response.

For companies looking to make a move to a new location and greater success in 2023, it pays to choose a professional company that not only specializes in moving, transportation, and storage, but that serves as a partner in your relocation success. It’s also crucial to consider a moving company with industry affiliations that offers a comprehensive range of services with highly coordinated systems in place to cover everything from essential packing and moving to complex decommissions, IT transfers, installations, and more.

Sources

AlphaSense, 10 Market-Moving Trends to Watch in 2023. December 28, 2022. Available at: https://www.alpha-sense.com/blog/trends/market-moving-trends-2023/

Unites States Census Bureau, Two Years into Pandemic, Domestic Migration Trends Shifted. March 30, 2023. Available at: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/03/domestic-migration-trends-shifted.html

IBIS World, Employee Relocation Services Industry in the US: Market Research Report. May 1, 2023. Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/employee-relocation-services-industry/

Robert Half Talent Solutions, Nearly Half of US Workers Plan to Look for a New Job in 2023. December 14, 2022. Available at: https://press.roberthalf.com/2022-12-14-Nearly-Half-of-U-S-Workers-Plan-to-Look-for-a-New-Position-in-the-New-Year

Gitnux, Moving Industry 2023: A Look at the Statistics. March 23, 2023. Available at: https://blog.gitnux.com/moving-industry-statistics/#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20moves%20are,average%20between%202018%20and%202023