Central London office markets continue strong run

Take-up of office space in the City of London reached 5.1m sq ft at the end of the third quarter of 2018, just 1% down on the same point in 2017 and 18% up on the 10-year average. Space under offer in London’s West End market was 1.9m sq ft at the end of September, a new record that is said should calm any pessimism about Londo's prospects post-Brexit. The average prime rent at the end of Q3 was £79.69 per sq ft, up on the same point last year by 6.5%, and the highest annual average prime rent on record. Companies in the insurance and financial services sector continue to be the source of the majority of demand in the City, accounting for 20% of the office space taken as of the end of Q3. But the tech and media sector is close at 19% while serviced office providers are responsible for 12%. In the West End, office take-up for the year to the end of Q3 stood at 3.75m sq ft, with 1.9m sq ft of under offer. 2018’s under offer figure is 109% up on the long term average. The tech and media sector has been the dominant force in the West End market in 2018, accounting for 45% of take-up across 72 transactions.

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