CONTACT US
Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn I recommend visiting cushmanwakefield.com to read:%0A%0A {0} %0A%0A {1}

Year-End Central London Office Leasing Figures Show a Changing Landscape

14/02/2023

London, 26 January 2023 – Final year end data from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield reveals that take-up in the Central London office market exceeded expectations to reach 10.47 million sq ft in 2022, 10% up on the 5-year average, with a further 2.76 million sq ft under offer, despite the challenging economic environment. 

The banking and finance sector acquired the largest volume of space, taking a 20% market share, followed by professional services (18%), media & tech (17%) and legal (15%). By geography, the City led the way with 5.53 million sq ft of take-up in 2022, 4% up on the 5-year average. Key deals include Clifford Chance pre-letting 326,000 sq ft at 2 Aldermanbury Square; Hogan Lovells pre-letting 266,000 sq ft at 18-20 Holborn Viaduct; and Kirkland & Ellis pre-letting 212,000 sq ft at 40 Leadenhall Street. Performance wise the West End was up 21% on the 5-year average at 4.21 million sq ft of take-up. Significant deals include Blackstone pre-letting 226,000 sq ft at Lansdowne House; Capital Group taking 220,000 sq ft at Paddington Square; and MSD pre-letting 196,000 at Belgrove House. 

Take up in the final quarter of 2022 totalled 2.59 million sq ft across Central London including four 100,000 sqft+ transactions, with the City accounting for 1.4 million sq ft and the West End 994,592 million sq ft. Prime rental values remained stable at £120 per sq ft in the West End and £72.50 per sq ft in the City. 

Overall, 604 leasing transactions took place in 2022, up 34% on 2021 (452 deals). The volume of sub-25,000 sq ft deals provided a significant boost to the year-end figures, increasing 47% year-on-year and equating to 528 deals – its highest percentage of the total in over 10 years. The demand stats mirror this trend. There are currently 296 active requirements in the Central London market, totalling 8.5 million sq ft. The banking & financial sector lead these requirements (23%), followed by professional services and media & tech (both at 19%). Interestingly, 250 requirements are below 50,000 sq ft, amounting to some 4.5 million sq ft.  

Ben Cullen, Head of UK Offices at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “The bifurcation of the London office market is at its most acute since before the GFC. The appetite for the best office space is incredibly fierce, but occupier demands and expectations for their office space are also deepening – location, flexibility sustainability and well-being are rising up the list of priorities and are playing an even bigger role in price negotiations - providing much food for thought for developers and landlords.” 

There is currently 25.10 million sq ft of supply in the Central London office market (including under offers), of which 10.59 million sq ft is classified as grade A. Against the 5-year quarterly average, vacancy remains relatively high at 8.78% overall, 3.7% for grade A.  

Looking ahead to 2023, around 15.2 million sq ft of space is currently under construction (10.5 million sq ft is speculative), with 54% set to complete this year and 24% in 2024. Given ongoing construction delays reflecting labour and material shortages questions remain over how much will truly be delivered in 2023.  

“We saw occupier out performance in 2022 and a glimpse of what could be a new normal for our market. The ways in which trends in workplace dynamics play out despite an economically inflationary backdrop will be key to driving demand and pricing in the future.” Said Andy Tyler, Head of London Office Leasing at Cushman & Wakefield.  

About Cushman & Wakefield
Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 52,000 employees in nearly 400 offices and 60 countries. In 2023, the firm reported revenue of $9.5 billion across its core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, and valuation and other services. It also receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability and more. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Richard Coleman, Head of Communications EMEA
Richard Coleman

Head of EMEA Communications • London

What's new

Retail-Nederland
Cushman & Wakefield Bolsters Market-leading London Retail & Leisure Team

Global real estate advisors, Cushman & Wakefield has appointed Tors Hayward and Alice Vaughan as Associates within its Central London Retail & Leisure team. 

Richard Coleman • 20/09/2024

Egypt affiliate_signing.jpg
Cushman & Wakefield Expands Into Egypt With Core As Exclusive Affiliate

Cushman & Wakefield has signed an exclusive affiliate agreement to deliver commercial property services in Egypt as Cushman & Wakefield Core.

Richard Coleman • 17/09/2024

EMEA_LOGISTICS_AdobeStock_641468246.jpeg
Sustainable Warehouses Command 19% Price Premium Underlining ‘Flight To Quality’ In European Logistics Investment

Logistics real estate investors are willing to pay nearly a fifth more (19%) for European warehouses with high sustainability credentials (BREEAM Very Good or above) over assets rated below that benchmark, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Richard Coleman • 12/09/2024

Insights

Oxford Street, London
MarketBeat • Workplace

Central London MarketBeat

Central London Marketbeat provides an overview of the occupational and investment markets across Central London on a quarterly basis.  

13/08/2024
legal leading the way webcard small 750x456 png.png
Research

Legal Leading the Way for Top Regional Offices

In 2023, the legal sector reported its strongest year in terms of leasing activity since 2016 across the Big Five office markets (Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Manchester). 
Kiran Patel • 08/08/2024
2024 London moves
Research • Workplace

London Moves

As the London office market continues to evolve and adapt, the London Moves report provides a detailed analysis of the trends and shifts in 2023. It highlights the who, what, where and why of office relocations across the Capital.
Ben Cullen • 15/04/2024

NEED COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ADVICE?

Contact our team for the latest on the real estate markets.
With your permission we and our partners would like to use cookies in order to access and record information and process personal data, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device to ensure our website performs as expected, to develop and improve our products, and for advertising and insight purposes.

Alternatively click on More Options and select your preferences before providing or refusing consent. Some processing of your personal data may not require your consent, but you have a right to object to such processing.

You can change your preferences at any time by returning to this site or clicking on Cookies.
MORE OPTIONS
Agree and Close
These cookies ensure that our website performs as expected,for example website traffic load is balanced across our servers to prevent our website from crashing during particularly high usage.
These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced features. These cookies do not gather any information about you that could be used for advertising or remember where you have been on the internet.
These cookies allow us to work with our marketing partners to understand which ads or links you have clicked on before arriving on our website or to help us make our advertising more relevant to you.
Agree All
Reject All
SAVE SETTINGS