NEW research has found that Glasgow occupiers are increasingly opting to take ‘let-ready’ office space as they look to minimise the time and resource they spend on moving and fitting out new premises.
Knight Frank revealed that around three-quarters of office take-up during the third quarter of 2025 involved fully fitted accommodation. One of the major contributors was that 86% of office deals were for less than 4,000 sq. ft. of space – up from 77% during the second quarter – with occupiers searching for smaller requirements preferring let-ready options.
The commercial property consultancy said an increasing number of landlords in Glasgow are looking to diversify their buildings from solely a traditional leasing model to include an element of speculatively fitted spaces.
Despite a slower third quarter – with 82,594 sq. ft. of take-up, compared to the 125,487 sq. ft. five-year average – Glasgow’s office market is said to be on track to deliver a strong end to the year and exceed the previous 12 months’ total.
Demand for new and prime refurbished Grade A space has remained high, with a vacancy rate for these classes of space sitting at less than 1%.
Simon Capaldi, office agency partner at Knight Frank Glasgow, said, “More occupiers in Glasgow are looking for fully fitted space, as smaller businesses, in particular, continue to grapple with an uncertain economic backdrop. That is making flexibility key and, to facilitate this demand, an increasing number of landlords are looking to enhance their product offering within their buildings beyond the traditional model.
“Larger occupiers are still active and looking for space, but we are increasingly seeing them plan far in advance because of the lack of good quality office stock coming through. While, on the face of it, overall availability within Glasgow seems high, the reality is that there is a lack of quality space for corporate occupiers of scale.”
