The West End has overtaken traditional City areas to be the most sought after location for offices in London, according to the latest analysis from Free Office Finder, the source of flexible workspaces across the capital.
The company has revealed London’s 10 most popular locations by office enquiries over the last 12 months. Gone from the top are the stalwarts of Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street, as a new desire for West End offices emerges.
Free Office Finder reports that enquiries for Canary Wharf have dropped by 60% since Covid, with an approximate 42% price drop per desk. Liverpool Street is following suit, having a 62% decline in enquiries and being knocked from 1st place pre-pandemic to 6th place today.
Conversely, Mayfair enquiries have increased by 70%, suggesting a renewed desire for accessibility to after work activities and amenities in central London. Further support comes from the 48% rise in Farringdon enquiries, believed to be linked to the opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022.
Designed to help companies predict the 2025 office trends, the data unveiled the top 10 most enquired about London locations over the last 12 months:
- Mayfair
- London Bridge
- Soho
- Victoria
- Marylebone
- Liverpool Street
- Farringdon
- Fitzrovia
- Waterloo
- Bank
This compares with the most enquired about five years ago, in 2019:
- Liverpool Street
- Victoria
- London Bridge
- Waterloo
- Mayfair
- Soho
- King’s Cross
- Hammersmith
- Shoreditch
- Old Street
This new data not only reveals the evolving locations of London’s office space, but also the evolving features of offices. One insight showed the rising trend for 2025 in ‘Pet Friendly’ buildings – over 430 workspaces in London now offer space for pets, again suggesting offices are adapting to lifestyles. This is accompanied by the rise of hybrid working, with 68% of companies specifying hybridity for 2024 compared to just 4% in 2019.
Nick Riesel, Managing Director of Free Office Finder, comments: “We have a unique window into the London flexible space market through enquiries via Free Office Finder, and our analysis shows that traditional firm favourite office locations are becoming less popular, in comparison with those that fit more with the new work/life blend.”
He adds: “This means areas such as the West End are rising in popularity, with Soho now in the top 5 office locations and Mayfair in the number one spot. Out of London enquiries are also up by 15%. This statistic is one to watch over the next 12 months, becoming a valuable prediction for companies to meet office needs and maximise employee retention. For 2025, we can expect to see an evolving landscape in how people rent office spaces, away from the traditional take of adapting our lifestyles to our workplace and leaning towards offices that put our lifestyle first.”