The industry's own research.
26 items
Analysis of economic recovery patterns and divergent outcomes following pandemic lockdowns in a UK city context.
Analysis of retail mall decline and structural challenges affecting shopping centers in Greater Manchester and the broader UK market.
Analysis of Manchester's real estate market strategy focusing on rental growth and student retention as drivers of the city's international competitiveness.
Knight Frank's mid-year review of office market conditions across major UK cities.
LARGE-scale regeneration schemes risk creating a sense of ‘cultural displacement’ among older residents, a University of Manchester report has warned. The report’s authors said that regeneration must do more than build new homes and infrastructure, with investment also needed in community centres, faith spaces,…
Expect rising rents, an increase in take-up, and growing investor appetite as Prime Minister Andy Burnham transforms the city into the country’s second seat of power. The post What impact will No10 North have on the Manchester office market? appeared first on Place North West .
Knight Frank's Q4 2025 quarterly review analyzes investment trends, student demand, and supply delivery in the UK purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) market, finding that investors committed £4.3 billion to PBSA in 2025 (up 10% year-on-year) across 79 deals, with increasing investor appetite for first-generation standing stock and portfolio-level transactions despite pricing misalignments and weaker leasing cycles. Demand-side analysis shows undergraduate acceptances for 2025/26 rose 2.3% year-on-year to 577,725 students with Russell Group institutions significantly outperforming, while PBSA delivery reached 19,600 beds across 64 schemes in 2025 with an additional 50,250 beds under construction, concentrated in London, Bristol, Glasgow, Coventry, and Manchester.
JLL's Big Six Residential Development Report for Summer 2025 analyzes residential development trends across six UK cities (Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, and Manchester), finding average annual price growth of 1.7% and rental growth of 2.1% across these markets, with Birmingham leading in both metrics and over 14,500 BTR units in its pipeline. Key findings include a 64% increase in BTR investment in H1 2025 versus the five-year H1 average, normalization of rental growth from 4.2% in December 2024 to 2.1% currently, removal of Scotland's temporary rent cap legislation on 1 April 2025, and development viability challenges from building safety regulations and planning restrictions impacting new home completions despite strong underlying demand for urban housing.
Prime office rents across the UK's 15 key regional office markets rose by an average of 8.2% in 2025, with the Big Six markets (Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, and Manchester) experiencing stronger growth of 10.2%, driven by limited supply of high-quality space and strong occupier demand. Investment activity remained subdued at £938 million through Q3 2025, level with the prior year, though sentiment improved and sentiment indicators point to recovery expected in 2026 supported by high-profile asset disposals and improved financing conditions.
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This is a market report on the office sector in Manchester published by Savills in December 2025, providing an autumn 2025 spotlight on that market.
This is a market report published by CBRE in September 2025 covering the office sector in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Avison Young's Manchester outlook report assesses the city's real estate market during economic transition marked by rising interest rates, noting that property values have corrected and deal volumes have fallen, though some sectors like Big Box industrial show early recovery signs. The report projects Manchester will outperform the UK on economic growth driven by services and knowledge industries, highlights major office redevelopment schemes attracting major financial institutions, notes a 68% decline in big-box industrial take-up due to economic slowdown and low supply, and identifies Manchester as the second-most active residential investment market after London over the previous decade.
This is a market report published by Colliers in September 2025 providing a snapshot of the office sector in Manchester during the third quarter of 2025. The report covers regional office market conditions in this UK location.
Cushman & Wakefield's Q3 2025 MarketBeat report on UK retail and leisure markets covers recovery across virtually all sub-sectors in 2025, with improving retailer sentiment driven by three consecutive months of year-on-year retail sales growth, though optimism is tempered by anticipated fiscal tightening in the November budget and economic uncertainty. Key findings indicate supply remained stable at approximately 8% vacancy, total retail investment volumes stayed in line with long-term Q1-Q3 averages at +1%, prime retail assets saw increased activity including URW's 25% acquisition of St James Quarter and 50% stake in the Bullring, and international new entrants and Asian brand expansion are driving global retail demand in the UK market.
This is a data and figures report published by Savills on September 30, 2025, presenting occupational office market data for Manchester in the third quarter of 2025.
UK commercial real estate investment volumes totalled £10.4 billion in Q3 2025, the lowest quarterly figure since Q4 2023, with year-to-date totals of £40 billion representing 3.9% growth over the same period in 2024. The MSCI UK Quarterly Property Index delivered a 1.4% total return for Q3 2025, marking the sixth consecutive positive quarter, with retail posting the strongest performance at 2% quarterly returns and 9.2% annualized returns, while institutional investor activity began showing signs of recovery across multiple sectors.
The Manchester Hotel Market Spotlight for the 12 months ending August 2025 reports that branded full-service hotels experienced declining profits with gross operating profit per available room down 13.4%, driven by a 4.0% revenue drop despite a 0.9% increase in average daily rate, while occupancy fell 6.9% to 71.0% amid 1.6% supply growth including 888 new rooms. Gross operating profit margin contracted by 2.7 percentage points to 24.4%, reflecting insufficient cost reductions to offset lower revenues and the impact of increased supply particularly in the Midscale and Upper Upscale segments.
Manchester's office market in H1 2025 recorded 581,542 sq ft of take-up across 102 transactions, representing 14% growth over H1 2024 and the largest first half since 2019, with Grade A and Prime space accounting for 57% of activity. Overall availability decreased to 2.9 million sq ft with a vacancy rate of 11.1%, while the TMT sector led activity with 42% of total leasing, and Prime headline rents reached £45 per sq ft with developers commencing speculative construction including Landsec's 243,000 sq ft Republic scheme in Mayfield.
Manchester's office market demonstrates resilience driven by Professional Services, Tech, and Education sectors, with the TMT sector accounting for 50% of graduate retention and dominating take-up, while the Education sector transacted 70,000 sq ft year-to-date in 2025. Savills forecasts the top achieved rent of £45 per sq ft could rise to £52 per sq ft by end of 2026 (16% growth), with 75% of office space expected over the next three years coming from refurbished stock as new-build activity remains constrained at 318,000 sq ft currently under construction.
The Knight Frank UK Cities 2025 Office Market Annual Review examines leasing and investment activity across ten regional UK office markets, reporting that annual take-up reached 5.0 million sq ft with Q4 delivering the strongest quarterly performance, while Grade A space accounted for 61% of all transactions amid persistent flight to quality. Investment volumes totaled £916 million for the year, 28% below 2024 levels, though momentum strengthened in Q4 with £291 million transacted, and prime yields across regional cities ranged from 6.50% in Edinburgh to 10.00% in Aberdeen, offering substantial premiums to London benchmarks.
Manchester's office market recorded 286,200 square feet of take-up in Q1 2026, with the Government Property Agency accounting for the largest transaction at 114,967 square feet. Total vacancy stood at 10.9% at quarter-end, comprising Grade A vacancy of 5.1% and new build vacancy of 1.9%, while prime city centre rents remained stable at £45.00 per square foot.
Cushman & Wakefield's Q4 2025 MarketBeat report on Regional and South East office markets covers take-up, supply, rental values, and investment activity across the Big Five regional markets (Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester) and the South East, finding that 2025 saw 6.4 million sq ft of take-up (10% below 2024 and 13% below the five-year average) and £1,861.7 million in investment (the lowest annual total since 2012), with Q4 showing a 12% quarter-on-quarter increase in take-up driven by Grade A activity and a 10.8% vacancy rate. The report projects 2026 will see continued rental growth, persistent Grade A supply constraints, and increasing investment activity supported by easing interest rates and improving credit conditions, with momentum expected to build as occupier demand for high-quality space and flexibility intensifies.
Knight Frank's Q3 2025 UK Cities Office Market Review analyzes leasing, supply, investment, and rental trends across ten regional UK office markets including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield. Key findings include leasing activity reaching 2.5 million square feet in the first half of 2025 with year-on-year growth, seven of ten cities recording rental increases as high as 20%, limited new and Grade A space availability at a 3.0% vacancy rate, investment volumes of £373.5 million in H1, and stable prime asset pricing at 6.50%.
Manchester's office market recorded 771,511 square feet of take-up across 147 transactions in Q1–Q3 2025, with the TMT sector accounting for 37% of activity and Grade A and Prime space comprising 50% of total take-up. Total availability declined 3% to 2.8 million square feet by end-Q3 2025, reducing the overall vacancy rate by 40 basis points to 10.7%, while Grade A vacancy fell to 2.9% and Prime remained at 2.1%.
Knight Frank's H1 2025 Office Market Mid Year Review examines leasing, supply, investment, and rental trends across ten UK regional cities including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield. The report finds that regional leasing activity reached 2.5 million square feet in the first half of 2025 (7% above H1 2024), seven of ten cities recorded year-on-year rental growth reaching as high as 20%, but investment volumes were subdued at £373.5 million and new grade A office space availability remained critically tight at 3.0% vacancy, creating intense competition for quality space.
Manchester's office market saw take-up of 581,974 sq ft across 102 transactions in H1 2025, representing 14% growth versus H1 2024 and 31% above the five-year H1 average, with the TMT sector accounting for 42% of leasing activity. Overall availability decreased to 2.9 million sq ft with an 11.1% vacancy rate, while Prime headline rent stands at £45 per sq ft with expected growth above £50 per sq ft as new speculative development including the 243,000 sq ft Republic scheme commences.