The second quarter of 2026 recorded strong demand, as total office take up reached 267,939 sq ft.

In the city centre, Q2 saw 23 transactions and take up of 179,898 sq ft which was an increase of 113% on the same period in 2025. Average deal size was 7,822 sq ft as a handful of significant deals crossed the line during the quarter.

City centre activity was boosted by the 71,572 sq ft long-leasehold sale of Livingstone House to Luminate Education Group and the letting of 39,468 sq ft to Greencore at Broadgate.

There was also a first pre-let at 31 Wellington Street, which is under construction, as legal firm DAC Beachcroft signed for the two upper floors.

However, despite these stand-out deals, the market continues to be driven by smaller occupier requirements with 74% of all city centre transactions being for less than 5,000 sq ft.

Despite the strong second quarter, city centre take-up at the end of H1 totalled 214,234 sq ft which compares with 326,463 sq ft during the same period in 2025, a decrease of 34%.

The out of town market also performed strongly, with take up in the 3 month period reaching 88,041 sq ft across 25 deals, up 111% on Q2 2025.

The largest transaction out of town was the freehold sale of 2 Savannah Way to Optimum Medical, while the largest letting saw DP Assured take 7,500 sq ft at 3200 Thorpe Park. Demand for smaller suites remained a key feature, with 52% of all transactions involving units below 1,000 sq ft.

This rebound in activity during Q2 lifted first-half-year take up to 137,286 sq ft which is broadly in line with the 136,503 sq ft recorded during H1 2025.

Find out more about supply, rent and the outlook for Q3 by reading our full report here.