The Eastern M25 office market has seen the strongest period of take up since the pandemic in 2025,with activity across the region reaching 2.0m sq ft, 59% above the figure recorded in the previous 12 months and only marginally below the 10 year average. Activity was heavily driven by the upturn in lettings in the East London and Docklands markets, which accounted for 69% of the total. Docklands saw a number of larger deals, with Visa taking 300,000 sq ft at 1 Canada Square E14 in the final quarter of the year and HSBC committing to 210,000 sq ft at 40 Bank Street E14 in August.

The current year has seen a slowing in leasing activity, with just under 250,000 sq ft of space acquired. The East London and Docklands markets have also seen a slowing, although Cambridge Education Group took 39,655 sq ft at 2 Redman Place in Stratford.

Supply continues to be focused towards the East London and Docklands markets, which account for almost 50% of the overall available office floor space across the Eastern M25 region. These two markets also provide the best opportunities for larger buildings, with 69% of availability in the area in buildings above 50,000 sq ft. The availability rate in the East London and Docklands market stands at 10.2%, with all other markets at or below 8.0%.

The demand for office space across the Eastern M25 region edged up to 1.1m sq ft, with a number of new larger requirements coming to the market. These new requirements may partially be driven by the increased costs of occupation in the Central London office markets, with prime rents now well in excess of £100 per sq ft in the West End and City markets.