## 1 Introduction  
The market for services provided by third-party logistics providers (3 PLs) has recently experienced exponential growth. It is due to progress in the e-commerce sector and the increasing use of logistics outsourcing by companies that want to focus on their core activities and improve their customers' satisfaction [1]. The overall market for logistics outsourcing services has increased over the years, generating a revenue of more than USD 960 billion in 2020 [2]. Due to this growth, there is an increase in competition within the logistics industry, which leads 3 PLs to look for differentiating factors that enable them to generate value [3]. According to the literature, one of the potential leverages for 3 PLs to generate customer value and position themselves in the marketplace consists of physical assets, such as warehouses [4]. Warehouses, understood as the facilities in which firms store or hold goods for varying lengths of time [5], can therefore be considered to be distinctive factors in the market, becoming one of the drivers for building competitive advantage in the logistics industry [6]. Warehouse features affect the performance of 3 PLs [7], and better performance of warehouses leads to better service quality and customer satisfaction [8; 9]. While the link between warehouse features and the performance of logistics processes has been recognized in the literature and the industry, the literature highlights the absence of scientific contributions exploring this connection and studies of how 3 PLs approach the selection of logistics buildings in terms of considerations of warehouse features and their potential impact on performance and the service quality delivered to customers [10]. Scholars have focused their attention on the importance (in terms of efficiency and effectiveness) and the measurement of the performance and service quality of 3 PLs (e.g., [11; 5; 12; 13; 1]) without focusing on the single impact of physical assets. In the few cases in which warehousesappear in the discussion, it is considered as just one of the elements composing the set of assets at the disposal of 3 PLs and organizations in general (e.g., [14]). No specific focus or emphasis has been put on warehouses and their features as essential factors affecting the performance of 3 PLs, even if, as proven by [4], the warehouse is strategic for 3 PLs. In other words, warehouses' roles in and relationship with performance have been acknowledged. Still, no previous studies have gone the \"extra mile\" and explored how to turn this relationship into actionable knowledge for 3 PL providers so that they can make the most of this relationship and leverage warehouses and their specific features as strategic elements for building competitive advantage. Thus, this research aims to help 3 PL providers to identify the warehouse features that impact their performance and the service quality provided, providing an actual insight into 3 PLs' way of thinking and informing them in the selection of the warehouses presenting the features that can help in maximizing their performance and competitive advantage. Furthermore, the research investigates the reasons for the importance of the identified warehouse feature. Hence, this research strives to answer the fundamental question: \"How and why can warehouse features influence 3 PLs' performance and service quality provided?\"  
In order to achieve this goal, an investigation has been carried out that started from the analysis of state-of-the-art logistics performance and service quality measurement, complemented by a further literature analysis on warehouse features. Then, moving on from the outcomes of this conceptual effort, the warehouse features were linked to performance measurement through an empirical endeavour based on case study research conducted with practitioners operating in the 3 PL providers' industry.