The Race For The Best Office Space: Fit Out Costs Across Europe Rise 9%

The UK and Germany top the list of most expensive regions to fit out an office with costs expected to remain high in the near term before falling in 2024

Key UK and German cities top the list of the most expensive European regions to fit out an office as occupier expectations for their workplace continue to increase following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new data from global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Fit out costs across Europe have risen by an average of 9% (in euro currency) over the last year with high-quality fit outs now averaging €2,214 per sq m ‘all-in’*. While this represents a significant cost increase over the year, the increase is broadly in line with the peak rate of inflation encountered in the UK and euro area. High fit out costs in the UK and Germany are being further driven by elevated expectations in these regions in terms of design sophistication, technology solutions and quality of fit out.

Cushman & Wakefield’s ‘European Office Fit Out Cost Guide’ covers 25 key cities across Europe and set out average costs across a range of fit out standards to help occupiers define office relocation budgets.

Table: Top 10 Most Expensive Locations for High-Quality Fit Out Costs in Europe

Nic Wilkinson, Chair of Project & Development Services EMEA at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Three years on from the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering office fit outs that reflect current working strategies has never been higher up the agenda. Corporates are taking huge strides in advancing workplace strategies and the importance now placed on sustainability and DE&I criteria cannot be understated as more and more firms pivot towards accountable goals in this area. Together, this drives demand for best-in-class space of which there is a considerable lack of supply and sizable cost and logistical considerations.”

Over the past 12 months the primary issue affecting fit out costs has been surging inflation driven by significant supply-demand imbalances resulting from stressed supply chains, tight labour markets and the conflict in Ukraine.

The outlook on pricing is mixed. Although supply chain stress continues to be resolved, there are still bottlenecks for specific products, mainly electronics, and labour costs remain high. Inflation in the euro area is forecast at 6.2% in 2023 but is then expected to slow to 2.7% in 2024. These factors mean that input costs are likely to remain elevated in the near term, likely resulting in construction contractors remaining risk averse and including greater safety provisions to mitigate the current volatile conditions. However, on the opposite side of the ledger, the economic slowdown has resulted in a more cautious approach to capital expenditure by occupiers, which together with the current trend of generally downsizing office footprints, means the size of the market has shrunk. In turn, this is leading to increased competition to win projects and is therefore placing downward pressure on tender pricing as margins are shaved further.

User Expectations Transforming the Market

Cushman & Wakefield recently warned in its ‘Obsolescence = Opportunity: The next evolution of office space in Europe’ report that 76% of European office stock faces obsolescence by 2030 as a combination of changing work patterns, occupier demand, increasing legislative action from European governments around minimum sustainability standards, as well as an uncertain economic backdrop, sees stock misalign with demand.

Best in class fit outs therefore need to simultaneously consider five key factors:

• workplace strategy
• change management
• sustainability
• procurement
• technology

Wilkinson added: “Half of the building stock across Europe is over thirty years old and just 14% has been built or substantially modernised in the last ten years. Over the life of an office building, there may be as many as three or four office fit outs, and with legislative requirements on sustainability becoming more acute, many landlords need to take action on how the environmental costs measure up against the embodied carbon in the building. Occupiers simultaneously need to factor in high all-in costs to accommodate technology and sustainability improvements, though payback periods, especially for sustainability efficiencies, have shortened considerably.”

Notes to Editors: *‘All-in’ fit outs includes furniture, audio visual, professional fees and contingency on the total costs associated with a potential internal fit out project.

Cushman & Wakefield’s definition of High, Medium, and Low office fit outs:

Table: Full Ranking of High-Quality Fit Out Costs in Europe