JLL has begun reviewing options for a new London West End office hub, CoStar News can reveal.
In a statement the global brokerage giant confirmed: “We have begun considering options for a new office in the West End, of around 15,000 square feet, to support our West End teams and clients. This will align with the move to our new flagship office at 1 Broadgate in 2026.”
The announcement will put the developers of the West End's most sustainable offices on alert in particular.
JLL announced its decision to relocate its UK flagship office from 30 Warwick Street in the West End to 1 Broadgate in the City of London in 2021. The group's headquarters had previously been on Hanover Square in the West End and it had been looking at options for consolidating its West End, City and Canary Wharf offices since 2017 ahead of lease breaks that would see it move in 2026.
It signed for 129,000 square feet at British Land and GIC's development on the Broadgate estate in Liverpool Street, agreeing a 15-year term for a prelet of nearly 30% of the office space. The building comprises 546,000 square feet of mixed-use space, including 498,000 square feet of workspace, 47,000 square feet of roof terraces and 48,000 square feet of retail and leisure. Law firm Allen & Overy subsequently prelet 245,000 square feet at the building.
JLL has said its decision to be based at 1 Broadgate reflects its "clear ambitions to be a net zero carbon business and aligns to British Land's own net zero commitments". The building is targeting a base build operational efficiency of circa 55 kilowatt-hours per square metres, at the top end of energy intensity targets for new developments.
It is also targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating for sustainability and a WELL Platinum rating for health and wellbeing to achieve industry-leading standards for air quality, water and light, and will be designed to support employee engagement and productivity. It will also be SMART-enabled to analyse and improve operational performance.
JLL will move in 2026 into four floors with its own dedicated entrance.
The move represents a rare shift of a headquarters from the West End to the City by a major agent, with CBRE, Savills and Colliers all committed to having their flagships in the West End and smaller locations in the City. Avison Young recently signed to relocate from 65 Gresham Street in the City to the Met Building in Fitzrovia. Knight Frank is looking at options to relocate in the West End from its base at 55 Baker Street. Cushman & Wakefield's London HQ is at 125 Old Broad Street in the City, with a smaller location at 25 Baker Street in the West End recently selected.
JLL had previously said it would retain a meaningful base in the West End from 2026 to allow colleagues to flex around clients’ needs.
In 2021 it agreed to take 38,000 square feet at 20 Water Street at Canary Wharf's giant Wood Wharf development to house its Docklands office. JLL notably became the first tenant at the headquarters building and also signed up to a first-ever "green lease clause" at the Docklands estate.