Manchester's office market opened 2026 in solid form, with 51 deals and 286,000 sq ft transacted in Q1. But beneath the encouraging take-up figures lies a structural Grade A office space shortage. With no new-build completions until 2028 and prime rents heading for the mid-£50s per sq ft, the window for occupiers to secure best-in-class space is narrowing.

The specialist flexible workspace consultancy, founded by Will Kinnear, has today launched the UK's first comprehensive regional flexible workspace index, expanding beyond its previous London-focused benchmarks to cover the Big Six cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester.

Will Kinnear has spent over 20 years advising landlords on flexible workspace. Here is what most property owners still get wrong — and what the shift to managed space really means for their assets.