• Working from home has changed office functionality, but not replaced offices
• Office space is planned at 0.7 employees per workstation

(Essen, 20 June 2023). Demand for office space in the Ruhr region remains strong. Studies claiming a sharp downturn and office utilisation below 25% are clearly not borne out by Brockhoff’s figures for the Ruhr office market. “Sweeping statements about Germany’s office market are not professional. The Ruhr region has different conditions from the top seven cities. The regional office market is much more stable than the national average,” explains Brockhoff Managing Director Tobias Altenbeck .

A survey of Brockhoff’s regular clients, including several international corporations based in Ruhr cities, found no significant decline in either the number of office enquiries or the size of space sought in the Ruhr metropolitan region. Many companies are bringing employees back to the office and are looking for suitable premises. Average office utilisation is just over 60%.

Office take-up in the first quarter of 2023 confirms these findings. In particular, take-up in Essen and Dortmund, the Ruhr region’s two largest office markets, increased significantly compared with 2022, reaching around 20,000 m² in each city.

According to Altenbeck, remote work has changed how offices function, but has not replaced them.

Current enquiries prioritise open-plan space, large meeting rooms and meeting points. According to Altenbeck, the social value of office workplaces is greater than ever.

The size of office enquiries has barely decreased as companies move from traditional cellular layouts with single and double offices to shared spaces. “Companies plan for 0.7 employees per workstation when designing office space. Before Covid, the figure was 0.9. But the shift towards more shared areas means that the size of enquiries is falling less than one might initially expect,” the real estate expert explains.

A future challenge for the Ruhr office market is to offer tenants space that meets modern requirements. Much of the current vacancy is in buildings with basic or standard fit-outs. “Refurbished space in existing buildings can be marketed successfully. We therefore always advise owners to invest in their properties,” says Altenbeck.

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About Brockhoff

Brockhoff GmbH is one of Germany’s leading commercial property brokers and the leading real estate company in the Ruhr region. Founded in Essen in 1987 by Eckhard Brockhoff, the owner-managed company has more than 35 years of real estate experience and extensive expertise in marketing OFFICE, INVEST, RETAIL and LOGISTICS properties. Its portfolio includes nationwide sales of office and investment properties, office lettings focused on the Ruhr region, retail brokerage in prime 1a locations in German cities of all sizes, and logistics property lettings and sales. In 2021, SORAVIA, a leading real estate group in Austria and Germany with more than 3,300 employees,through its subsidiary ADOMO acquired a 41% stake in the company.