Manchester’s office market has made a resilient start to 2026, with demand holding firm across both the city centre and out-of-town locations.
Q1 city centre take-up reached 286,000 sq ft across 51 deals, broadly in line with the five-year average, with smaller transactions continuing to drive momentum.
One of the clearest trends remains the flight to quality. Occupiers are prioritising high-quality, fully fitted, flexible Grade A space, with speed of occupation and cost certainty playing an increasingly important role in decision-making.
With no new Grade A developments completing in 2026, competition for the best space is expected to intensify further — creating opportunities for landlords and developers to refurbish and reposition existing stock.
While performance has varied across some out-of-town submarkets, areas such as Salford Quays and Trafford have seen stronger activity, underlining continued confidence beyond the city centre core.
With a strong pipeline of enquiries still to come forward, Manchester remains well placed to maintain momentum through the rest of the year.
