49 / 66
Central Urban
Districts
Creative Urban
Environment
Suburban
Business Parks
Urban relocation %
Business
services
41%
Financial
services
56%
TMT
46%
Importance of rail station < 10 minute walk
Preferred location
75%
EMEA
82%
APAC
CBD
40%
32%
56%
URBAN CREATIVE
26%
19%
15%
SUBURBAN PARK
24%
15%
22%
CBD locations are
preferred across sectors
(40% respondents)
mainly real estate
companies
Creative urban environments
are popular with business
services and construction
and architecture sectors
Industrial TMT occupiers
favor suburban
business parks
53%
NORTH
AMERICA
A HOP, SKIP OR JUMP AWAY
Variations in location preference are found in different
industry sectors. In EMEA, 67% of financial services firms
may move office functions back to urban environments,
while 45% of TMT sector firms are considering the same
strategy. In North America, the possibility of moving from
suburban to urban locations has occurred to 45% of financial
services firms and 50% of TMT occupiers, while 67% of life
science operators continue to favour suburban areas.
Location decisions often illustrate the tensions among
different drivers and objectives, as companies seek the
right balance of cost reduction, talent access, visibility to
customers and flexibility. Most respondents, especially in
EMEA and North America, view these conflicting objectives
as difficult to reconcile outside of core urban areas, which
provide access to talent, offer branding opportunities, and
enhance flexibility. Approximately 43% of respondents said
their organisations plan to relocate suburban sites to more
central locations, and this trend has increased year on year.
To meet cost targets, companies relocating to urban areas
increasingly adopt agile workplace strategies, making better
use of more expensive space.
28%
IDENTIFY COST AS THE PRIMARY KEY DRIVER
49