Two thirds of businesses planning an office move as workplace needs change
Nearly two thirds of European office occupiers are planning to relocate within the next three years as businesses rethink what they need from their workplace.
New research from CBRE reveals that 65% of office occupiers are planning to relocate over the next three years, highlighting just how significantly workplace requirements continue to evolve.
The findings, from CBRE’s 2026 European Office Occupier Sentiment Survey, suggest that rather than the office becoming less important, businesses are becoming increasingly selective about the type of office they want to occupy.
Businesses want better offices
One of the clearest findings is the growing importance businesses are placing on the quality and suitability of their workplace.
Nine out of ten occupiers surveyed said they would reject an office building if it failed to meet their amenity requirements.
Technology, changing working patterns and sustainability are also influencing what businesses expect from their next office. Almost half (48%) anticipate needing multipurpose and reconfigurable layouts, while 38% expect to require greater flexibility from their workspace.
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important too, with 45% of occupiers now targeting net zero by 2030, up from 37% in 2024.
The message for businesses is increasingly clear: the right office is no longer simply about having enough desks. It needs to support how people actually work, provide an environment employees want to use and be capable of adapting as the organisation changes.
Smaller doesn't necessarily mean staying put
Interestingly, some businesses expect technology and new ways of working to reduce the amount of office space they require.
More than half (52%) of occupiers expect AI to reduce headcount and space requirements over time.
But needing less space does not necessarily mean remaining in an existing office.
For many businesses, a reduction in space requirements can provide the opportunity to relocate to a smaller but better-quality office — potentially improving location, amenities, sustainability and the overall employee experience at the same time.
That helps explain why relocation remains firmly on the agenda for so many occupiers.
Competition for the best offices could increase
Businesses considering an office move may also need to start their search earlier.
CBRE forecasts that the proportion of European office stock less than five years old will fall to just 6.8% by 2028 — its lowest level in more than a decade.
With occupiers increasingly focused on modern, high-quality offices, competition for the best available space could therefore intensify.
This makes early planning particularly important. An office relocation involves considerably more than simply finding another property, with decisions around lease events, workplace requirements, budgets, fit-out, IT, removals and employee communication all needing to be considered.
An office move is an opportunity for change
Moving office has always provided businesses with an opportunity to reassess how and where they work.
The latest CBRE research suggests more organisations are now doing exactly that.
Whether the objective is to reduce costs, accommodate hybrid working, improve sustainability, attract employees back to the workplace or simply create a better working environment, an office relocation provides an opportunity to match the workplace more closely to the future needs of the business.
And with 65% of occupiers now planning to relocate within the next three years, it appears that a significant number of businesses have concluded that their next office may serve them better than their current one.
Source: CBRE, European Office Occupier Sentiment Survey 2026.
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