London Office Movement Briefing · Week 31, 2026 · 2026-07-28
London office movement: 711 in-market, City and West End lead as AI tenants push take-up
This week's data shows 711 London organisations in the market for a move, fit-out or refurbishment, with 41 flagged as hot and 367 lease events on record. The City and West End continue to dominate volume, while press coverage points to AI and tech occupiers reshaping demand at the top of the market.
The numbers
711 London organisations are currently in the market for a move, fit-out or refurbishment, of which 41 are classed as hot. There are 367 lease events on record this period. No prior month figure has been supplied, so no month-on-month comparison can be made.
What this means: with 367 lease events against 711 in-market organisations, roughly half of tracked movers have already reached a lease milestone, while the remainder are still weighing options. The 41 hot organisations represent the sharpest end of that pipeline — those closest to a decision — and are worth closest attention over the coming weeks.
Where the movement is
The City and fringe (EC) postcodes remain the clear centre of gravity, accounting for 243 in-market organisations, well ahead of the West End (W) on 189. Midtown (WC) and Southbank/SE follow closely with 71 and 69 respectively, while North & NW London accounts for 52.
By sector, finance and insurance leads with 167 organisations in the market, followed by legal and consulting on 100 and tech and software close behind on 96. Professional and creative services (74) and media and publishing (46) round out the top five, underlining that occupier demand is still concentrated among established City-facing industries alongside a growing tech contingent.
In the press this week
OpenAI has confirmed a letting at Iput's Docklands Tropical Fruit Warehouse, adding to evidence that AI-driven occupiers are now a material force in Central London leasing. That theme is echoed in a separate report on AI tenants driving Central London take-up through the second quarter, suggesting the sector's influence extends beyond single high-profile deals.
JLL has opened its new City of London headquarters, a move also covered as the firm relocating into new UK headquarters, marking one of the larger occupier moves within the EC market this period.
Elsewhere, Soho's office market is reported to be roaring back as Microsoft sparks a new leasing boom in the West End, reinforcing the sector split seen in the data between finance-led City demand and tech-led activity further west. On the transactional side, CLI Dartriver has completed a City offices acquisition, adding to the volume of deals recorded in the core submarket this week.
Put this data to work
Every figure above comes from the live Signal dataset — the same one that powers the London Office Movement Index. If your business wins work when companies move, see the leads behind the numbers: office fit-out, relocation services, facilities management and more.