The Canary Islands present a logistics landscape that’s very different from other regions: insularity, geographic dispersion, and a unique tax regime all directly impact how goods flows must be managed. These specific conditions often lead companies to reassess their logistics strategies when deciding where to store stock across the islands.
In this article, we explore why more and more companies are choosing the island of Gran Canaria as their base for storing goods in the Canary Islands, and the specific advantages it offers in terms of lead times, costs, and operational efficiency.
1. Direct access to the most important port in the Canary Islands
Gran Canaria’s first major strength lies in its status as a global maritime hub. The Port of Las Palmas, also known as the Port of La Luz, located in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the leading port in the Canary Islands and ranks seventh among Spanish ports, according to the latest annual data from Puertos del Estado (2024).
This makes it a key gateway with extensive international connectivity and a high frequency of maritime routes and regular departures, not only to the rest of the archipelago, but also to mainland Spain, Europe, and other global destinations.
Quote:
"Las Palmas is a top-tier global maritime hub, offering extensive international connectivity and a high number of port calls and regular departures."
2. Faster deliveries and a better customer experience
Storing stock in Gran Canaria enables companies to offer a faster and more reliable service to end customers. By eliminating transit times from mainland Spain, businesses can meet delivery deadlines with greater accuracy, an especially critical factor in sectors like retail, food, or automotive, where product availability has a direct impact on customer satisfaction.
In the case of Rhenus, this advantage is further enhanced by daily connections between Gran Canaria and the other islands, ensuring 24-hour deliveries throughout the archipelago. Our island-wide network brings goods physically closer to their final destination on a consistent basis, resulting in a faster, more stable, and customer-focused delivery experience, regardless of geographical distance.
3. More control over logistics planning
Having stock in Gran Canaria transforms the way companies plan their logistics and gives them greater control over their supply chain. With storage capacity on the island, businesses can maintain stock levels that are better aligned with the real demand of the Canarian market and plan ahead for peak periods.
This more accurate planning reduces the need for last-minute shipments, lightens the workload of logistics teams, and brings greater operational stability. Instead of reacting, companies can make decisions with more flexibility, improve efficiency, and adapt more easily to changes.
4. Greater security in the face of unforeseen events
Another key benefit is that companies gain greater responsiveness when unexpected situations arise. Relying entirely on shipments from mainland Spain leaves many supply chains vulnerable to weather disruptions, transit delays, or port congestion.
Having inventory already positioned at the destination allows businesses to better absorb any disruption in the supply chain and maintain service, even when complications occur at the point of origin. This resilience is especially valuable during critical campaigns, in sensitive sectors, or in times of high demand.
Quote:
"Relying entirely on shipments from mainland Spain leaves many companies exposed to weather disruptions, transit delays, or port congestion."
5. Tax savings and operational flexibility
Storing stock in Gran Canaria allows companies to optimize the customs and tax management of their goods. Rhenus facilities on the island are authorized as a Temporary Storage Facility (ADT) and an Authorized Export Goods Location (LAME), which provide significant operational advantages.
The ADT allows goods arriving from outside the European Union to be stored without immediate customs clearance, deferring the payment of duties and taxes until final distribution. This offers greater financial flexibility and makes it easier to make decisions based on real market demand.
The LAME, on the other hand, enables export procedures to be carried out directly at Rhenus facilities, with no need to move the goods to external customs sites. This speeds up processes, reduces costs, and is particularly useful for redistribution to other markets or for international e-commerce models.
While these customs schemes are not exclusive to the Canary Islands, their application here has a particularly positive impact. The islands’ insularity, geographic dispersion, and unique tax conditions, such as the IGIC instead of VAT, make having these tools available at the destination far more efficient than managing them from mainland Spain. Reducing transport needs, waiting times, and distance-related costs is a key differentiator that boosts competitiveness and gives companies greater control over their operations.
Quote:
"Reducing transport needs, waiting times, and distance-related costs is a key factor that enhances business competitiveness."
Why choose Rhenus to manage your stock in Las Palmas?
Choosing where to store your stock is important, but so is selecting the right logistics partner to manage it. The advantage of Rhenus is that, thanks to our TRW (Transport Related Warehousing) services, having storage capacity in the Canary Islands is no longer a privilege reserved for large companies with high volumes of goods.
At Rhenus, we offer available space in our consolidated warehouse at the Port of Las Palmas, so that any company, regardless of its size or sector, can store its goods directly at destination—without needing their own facility.
What makes the TRW solution unique is that the warehouse is fully synchronized with our transport services, ensuring 24-hour deliveries from Gran Canaria to any point in the archipelago. “This daily inter-island connectivity is one of the cornerstones of our operations. Whatever your market in the Canary Islands, we turn our Gran Canaria hub into your logistics base,” explains Andreu Gutiérrez, Country Sales Director Road at Rhenus Logistics in Spain.
The TRW model provides access to flexible and scalable storage, where goods are consolidated, temporarily stored, and redistributed based on current needs. This strategy combines the efficiency of shared logistics resources with the advantage of maintaining a constant flow of goods to and from the islands.
In addition, Rhenus operations in the Canary Islands are designed to offer real-time visibility and control over the supply chain. Thanks to full traceability, our clients can monitor their goods at all times, optimize their processes, and respond quickly to changes in local market demand.
Another added value is our status as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), a certification granted by the Spanish Tax Agency that simplifies customs procedures, reduces inspections, and prioritizes international operations, providing businesses with greater agility and reliability.
Rhenus supports this offering with over 40 years of experience in the Canary Islands and a network of our own offices in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. This is further strengthened by our global infrastructure, which allows us to fully integrate the Canary Islands into the international supply chain. “With Rhenus, Canarian companies not only have a trusted partner on the ground, but also the support of an international network that opens the door to a complete logistics ecosystem, creating new opportunities worldwide,” says Andreu Gutiérrez.
Would you like to learn more about our structure and services in the Canary Islands? Or discover the key factors that have made us the leading logistics partner in the region? If you prefer, you can also reach out to our team of experts to answer any questions you may have.