• Higher vacancy creates new opportunities for businesses
• Brockhoff handles 40% of all brokered office leasing and reinforces its position as a strong partner in the office market

(Essen, 15 July 2026.) Essen’s office market saw subdued activity in the first half of 2026. According to Brockhoff’s analysis, 51 office leases covering a total of 20,800 m² were recorded in the city. Brokers arranged 18,040 m² of this space. Brockhoff was involved in 16 of these transactions, leasing around 7,200 m² of office space. This represents 40% of the space brokered, once again underlining the company’s strong position in Essen. The largest lease in the first half of the year was at Altendorfer Straße 3, where Brockhoff arranged a lease of around 2,250 m² to a public-sector tenant.

Vacancy has risen from around 7.5% in the same period of 2025 to around 8.5% in 2026, continuing to create attractive opportunities in the market. Businesses can currently find appealing space, particularly in central locations around Essen’s main railway station. Many of these properties are in good condition and available for occupancy at short notice.

Rents for many existing properties are also well below those of modern new developments, of which there are very few. Prime rents in Essen remain stable at €20/m² and are generally achieved in new buildings and particularly sought-after city-centre locations.

Smaller offices were especially active in the first half of the year. Of the 51 leases recorded, 39 were for spaces of up to 500 m². This once again confirms strong demand from small and medium-sized businesses for flexible office options.

Now is a good time for many businesses to reassess and optimise their space requirements. Higher vacancy offers choices that were unavailable in recent years. Companies looking for modern, cost-effective office space can find attractive alternatives, particularly in central locations.

Brockhoff expects demand to remain closely linked to economic conditions over the rest of the year. At the same time, the larger supply of space gives businesses a rare opportunity to secure high-quality office locations in Essen for the long term.

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About Brockhoff

Brockhoff GmbH is one of Germany’s leading commercial real estate brokers and the market leader in the Ruhr region. The owner-managed company, based in Essen, was founded by Eckhard Brockhoff in 1987. With 39 years of experience in real estate, it has extensive expertise in marketing properties across the OFFICE, INVEST, RETAIL and LOGISTICS sectors. Its portfolio includes the nationwide sale of office and investment properties, office leasing with a focus on the Ruhr region, the brokerage of retail properties in prime 1A locations in small, medium-sized and large German cities, and the leasing and sale of logistics properties. In 2021, ADOMO Beteiligungs GmbH acquired a 41% stake in the company. The remaining 59% is still held by the founder and Managing Partner, Eckhard Brockhoff.