Adapt Commercial Property has closed a standout Q3 2025, transacting over 75,000 sq ft, including two landmark deals at 110 Queen Street to WSP and Hitachi Energy on behalf of DWS Group. Q4 is off to a fast start too, with more letting news to follow.
Glasgow city centre is set to hit pre-pandemic leasing levels by the end of the year. Office attendance is rising, occupier appetite is building, and the race for premium workspace has intensified. With a clear shift in occupier behaviour, there are exceptional opportunities for landlords and investors who embrace future workplace design.
What Occupiers Want
Today’s occupiers aren’t just looking for space. They’re seeking strategic assets that drive business performance.
Experience-led environments: Wellness features, sustainability credentials, and cutting-edge digital infrastructure aren’t optional anymore. They’re table stakes for attracting occupiers.
Talent attraction is the ultimate driver: High-quality offices boost productivity, strengthen culture, and become powerful recruitment and retention tools in a competitive labour market.
Brand expression matters: Contemporary design allows businesses to create bespoke environments that reflect their identity and values, turning workplaces into brand experiences.
Task-based design is essential: Quiet focus zones paired with collaborative spaces create purposeful environments where different work modes thrive. This thoughtful zoning elevates employee experience and reinforces a culture that values both productivity and wellbeing.
Office attendance is rising: Businesses are increasing mandated attendance, with many moving toward four-day office weeks. This shift is accelerating demand for higher-quality space that justifies the commute.
The destination office has arrived: As hybrid work embeds permanently, offices must earn employee attendance. The bar has risen dramatically. Spaces now serve as hubs for collaboration, creativity, and culture-building, not just individual work.
Work-Life balance: The novelty of home working has worn off for many due to the challenges of isolation, the blurring of work-life boundaries and increased fatigue from online meetings. The desire for balance and the realisation of the benefits of in-person collaboration is now a key theme in employee surveys.
Social capital drives performance: Employees increasingly value in-person connection for strengthening relationships, accelerating professional development, enabling knowledge transfer, facilitating mentoring, enhancing teamwork, and sparking spontaneous innovation. Remote work cannot replicate these advantages.
Scarcity Reshapes the Market
Accelerating demand is outpacing limited supply, altering market dynamics and driving strong rental growth.
Prime space is disappearing: Limited new development in Glasgow city centre has created an acute shortage of high-grade offices, intensifying competition and driving rental growth across the best assets.
Refurbishments command premium rents: Well-executed repositioned buildings in strong locations are achieving exceptional returns. In fact, refurbishment rents are now outpacing new-build schemes in Glasgow city centre. A thin development pipeline is amplifying this trend.
Flex space demand has exploded: Requirements for serviced offices have more than tripled since pre-pandemic levels, with Glasgow flex operators reporting consistently high occupancy with limited availability.
Surplus space creates opportunity: Occupiers holding excess space in quality buildings can convert liabilities into savings through strategic disposal solutions.
Strategic Imperatives for Landlords
The market has moved beyond waiting and watching. Owners must take deliberate action now.
Act decisively to avoid obsolescence:
Assets without clear repositioning strategies risk becoming stranded. Whether through refurbishment, repurposing, or adaptive reuse, proactive planning is essential. Inaction risks long-term voids and escalating holding costs.
Market dislocation favours the prepared:
Current pricing inefficiencies are creating compelling acquisition opportunities for investors who can identify undervalued assets with true potential.
Owner-occupation is trending:
More businesses are pursuing ownership for greater control and long-term stability. Acquiring through a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) can deliver significant tax advantages for business owners (professional advice recommended).
Partner with Specialists Who Know This Market
Navigating this evolving landscape requires local expertise and proven market knowledge.
Adapt Commercial Property delivers expert advisory services to landlords, investors, developers, and occupiers across acquisition, leasing, disposal, and repositioning strategies.
Commercial Property has changed forever. It’s time to Adapt.
For Glasgow market insight or to discuss your requirements, contact Fergus Maclennan
Tel: 0141 266 0571
