Liverpool Commercial Property Market Guide: Office, Industrial, Retail and Development (2026)
Liverpool is one of the UK's most dynamic regeneration cities, with a commercial property market defined by strong occupier demand, a chronic shortage of new Grade A office supply, rising rents, and a pipeline of waterfront and city centre development that is beginning to address years of undersupply. This guide covers all four commercial property sectors with current data, key deals, and the major projects reshaping the city.
Liverpool is one of the UK's most compelling regeneration cities — a port city with a World Heritage Site waterfront, two major universities, a growing financial and professional services base, and a cultural economy of international significance. Its commercial property market is characterised by rising occupier demand, a severe shortage of new Grade A office supply, and a series of major regeneration programmes that are beginning to unlock the city's next phase of commercial development.
This guide draws on data from the Liverpool Office Agents Forum (LOAF), Fisher German, Avison Young, Liverpool City Council, and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.
The Office Market
Current market conditions
Liverpool city centre office take-up reached 318,479 sq ft in 2024 — a significant increase of 12.5% on the 283,799 sq ft acquired the previous year, according to the Liverpool Office Agents Forum (LOAF). A strong Q4 2024 contributed 103,318 sq ft across 21 deals.
In Q1 2025, Liverpool recorded the Government and Services sector as the dominant demand driver, reflecting the broader public sector consolidation trend seen across UK regional cities. The capital Building deal — the Government committing to significant additional space — was one of the standout transactions of the year (Avison Young).
Rents
Headline rents in Liverpool stood at £29 per sq ft for best-in-class refurbished assets in 2024 — in the absence of any new-build Grade A offices in the Commercial District. Liverpool City Council's analysis, as of May 2025, confirmed that office rents were the second-lowest amongst the UK's core cities at £29 per sq ft, compared to £41.50 in Glasgow and £48.40 in Bristol.
However, with demand rising and supply constrained, agents expect headline rents to continue strengthening. The key constraint is supply: in the absence of new-build Grade A development, refurbishment schemes represent the highest-quality available space, and these are being absorbed rapidly.
The supply gap and Pall Mall
The most significant market intervention in Liverpool's 2025 commercial property landscape was Liverpool City Council's decision to intervene directly to unlock the Pall Mall office scheme — a long-awaited new-build Grade A development in the city's Commercial District.
The Council reported in May 2025 that demand is "notably rising" with 62% of all city lettings in 2024 in Grade A/B buildings, and that it was intervening to build on the flight-to-quality trend. The Cabinet report proposed that the Council use its covenant strength as owner of the site to provide a rent guarantee for 15 years on any unlet space, with developer Kier required to secure initial occupiers (pre-lets) for a minimum 40% of the building on a similar 15-year term, to help project viability.
The Council leader's statement was direct: "We need to address the office supply and commercial rent catch-22 Liverpool has found itself in. Demand is now rising following the post-pandemic slump and we need to take advantage of that by unlocking supply." Kier's group managing director confirmed the scheme is "oven-ready and could be open for business within three years," subject to the viability support structure being agreed.
The Pall Mall scheme, once delivered, will be the first major new-build Grade A office building in Liverpool's Commercial District for many years and is expected to materially reset rental expectations upward.
Key occupiers and notable deals
Acorn Insurance — Atlantic Pavilion, Royal Albert Dock (45,985 sq ft) — the largest deal of 2024, with Acorn Group acquiring the Grade I Listed Atlantic Pavilion at the Royal Albert Dock for owner-occupation. The Dock retains its position as one of the UK's most distinctive office addresses.
Government/Capital Building — Liverpool's largest city centre deal in Q1 2025 was Government commitment to significant additional space at the Capital Building (Avison Young).
Direct Line Insurance — 1 St Paul's Square (16,984 sq ft) — the insurance sector continues to be a consistent demand driver in Liverpool.
Creative sector — Wushu Studios (13,220 sq ft) and Sentric Music (13,000 sq ft), both at Walker House, reflect the continued growth of Liverpool's creative and music economy as a commercial property demand driver.
Home Office — The Capital Building (24,700 sq ft) — government occupiers continue to be active across the Liverpool Commercial District.
Hapag-Lloyd — 8,850 sq ft — the port city's shipping heritage continues to generate demand from global maritime firms.
What occupiers look for
Liverpool office occupiers prioritise the Commercial District (Old Hall Street, Exchange Flags, Tithebarn Street) and the Waterfront (Princes Dock, Atlantic Pavilion) for prestige and connectivity; proximity to Lime Street station (services to London Euston in approximately 2 hours 10 minutes); access to the Baltic Triangle creative quarter; BREEAM credentials and modern amenity; and access to Liverpool's two universities (University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores). Professional services, financial services, the creative industries, and maritime businesses are the consistent demand drivers.
The Industrial and Logistics Market
Liverpool's industrial and logistics market is anchored by the Port of Liverpool — the UK's largest Atlantic gateway, handling more than 32 million tonnes of cargo annually and providing direct container services to North America, Asia, and the Mediterranean. The port is served by dedicated rail freight connections and the strategic road network via the M62 and M57.
Key industrial locations in the Liverpool city-region include: Merseyside's industrial estates along the A5036 (Aintree, Bootle, Litherland), Knowsley Industrial and Business Park (one of the UK's largest industrial estates, with significant e-commerce and logistics occupiers including Amazon), Port of Liverpool logistics parks at Seaforth and Bootle, and the emerging Mersey Freeport zones.
The Mersey Freeport — established in 2023, covering the Port of Liverpool, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and Parkside development sites in St Helens — provides customs, tax, and planning advantages that are attracting logistics, manufacturing, and distribution investment.
Prime industrial rents across the Liverpool city-region have been rising steadily, with logistics facilities adjacent to the port commanding premiums for port-access capability. The overall North West industrial market showed H1 2025 take-up reaching 16.8 million sq ft nationally, with the North West among the strongest performing regions.
The Retail Market
Liverpool's retail market is anchored by Liverpool ONE — a 1.65 million sq ft open-air shopping and leisure destination that is one of the UK's most successful retail developments of the 21st century — alongside the Cavern Quarter, Church Street, and the independent retail offer of the Baltic Triangle and Bold Street.
Liverpool ONE continues to attract significant national and international brands, with strong footfall supported by the city's position as one of the UK's most visited tourist destinations. The Beatles heritage, the Albert Dock, and a strong events calendar support tourism spend that benefits the retail and hospitality sectors year-round.
The Ten Streets regeneration zone — Liverpool's northern waterfront between the city centre and Bramley Moore Dock — is creating a new creative and cultural quarter with growing retail, food, beverage, and workspace demand.
The Development Market
Pall Mall — The proposed new Grade A office scheme in Liverpool's Commercial District, unlocked in principle by Liverpool City Council's June 2025 decision to provide viability support. Developer Kier has confirmed the scheme is "oven-ready and could be open for business within three years." When delivered, it will be the first major new-build Grade A office in the Commercial District for many years and is expected to reset rental levels upward.
Liverpool Waters — Peel L&P's flagship 60-acre development of Liverpool's northern waterfront, including the proposed new Isle of Man ferry terminal and a series of mixed-use development plots. Liverpool Waters has been in planning and development for over a decade and is delivering new commercial, residential, and hotel uses in a unique waterfront setting.
Ten Streets — An emerging creative and cultural quarter in Liverpool's northern waterfront district, between the city centre and the Bramley Moore Dock site. The zone is attracting creative businesses, digital firms, food and beverage operators, and light industrial occupiers who value affordable space with character.
Bramley Moore Dock — Everton Stadium — Everton Football Club's new 52,888-seat stadium at Bramley Moore Dock opened for the 2024/25 season, transforming one of Liverpool's most historically significant but underused waterfront locations. The stadium is expected to catalyse further commercial development in the surrounding Ten Streets zone, generating hospitality, retail, and workspace demand in an area that previously had limited commercial activity.
Knowledge Quarter — The Liverpool City Region's knowledge economy cluster, anchored by the University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and Liverpool Science Park, is growing as a demand generator for laboratory, research, and office space.
Infrastructure Shaping the Market
Liverpool–Manchester Railway — The Government's January 2026 NPR announcement includes plans for a new route between Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington and Manchester Airport, expected in the second phase of the programme. Improved trans-Pennine connectivity would significantly reduce travel times between Liverpool and Manchester, expanding the effective labour market catchment for Liverpool businesses and making the city more competitive for national and international occupiers.
Mersey Freeport — Covering the Port of Liverpool, Liverpool Airport, and Parkside St Helens, the Freeport provides tax and customs advantages that are beginning to attract new industrial and logistics investment, particularly for businesses with Atlantic-facing supply chains.
Lime Street station redevelopment — Ongoing improvements to Liverpool Lime Street — the city's main rail gateway to London and the national network — are enhancing passenger experience and improving the connectivity credentials of Commercial District occupiers.
Challenges
The new-build supply gap — Liverpool's most acute commercial property challenge is the absence of new Grade A office development for many years. As Fisher German's Adam Fleming stated clearly: "Until we begin to develop and build top quality developments as seen in Manchester, Birmingham and London, we are never going to realise the rental levels that these cities enjoy." The Pall Mall intervention by Liverpool City Council is a direct response to this structural challenge, but the gap between agreed viability support and a completed building spans several years.
Rental gap with regional peers — At £29 per sq ft, Liverpool's prime office rent is materially below comparable cities. While this partly reflects the cost advantage Liverpool offers occupiers, it also reflects the absence of new-build development and limits the city's ability to attract national and international occupiers seeking flagship accommodation.
Port competition — While the Port of Liverpool is a structural strength, the ports of Felixstowe and Southampton dominate containerised trade. Liverpool's competitiveness for certain logistics operations depends on trans-Pennine transport infrastructure that has historically been inadequate — hence the strategic importance of NPR.
Heritage and planning complexity — Liverpool's UNESCO World Heritage Site status (which was withdrawn in 2021 in part due to Everton's new stadium development) and the listed status of much of the waterfront creates planning complexity and cost for developers seeking to bring forward commercial development in the most desirable waterfront locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current prime office rent in Liverpool?
Liverpool's prime office rent is £29 per sq ft for the best-in-class refurbished assets in the Commercial District, in the absence of new-build Grade A offices. Liverpool City Council confirmed in May 2025 that this is the second-lowest prime rent among UK core cities. Rents are expected to rise as demand strengthens, and the delivery of the Pall Mall scheme is expected to set a new, higher benchmark when it completes within the next few years.
What is the Pall Mall scheme?
Pall Mall is a proposed new-build Grade A office scheme in Liverpool's Commercial District, developed by Kier in partnership with Liverpool City Council. The Council agreed in principle in June 2025 to provide viability support — including a 15-year rent guarantee on unlet space and the use of the Council's covenant strength as site owner — to unlock a scheme that has been stalled for several years. Kier has confirmed the scheme is "oven-ready" and could complete within three years of development agreement being finalised.
What is the Everton stadium and how does it affect commercial property?
Everton Football Club's new 52,888-seat stadium at Bramley Moore Dock opened for the 2024/25 season, transforming one of Liverpool's most historically significant but underused waterfront sites. The stadium is expected to catalyse commercial development in the surrounding Ten Streets regeneration zone — generating demand for hospitality, retail, food and beverage, and workspace from businesses seeking to serve the stadium's large event audience and the growing creative community in the area.
What are the main office locations in Liverpool city centre?
Liverpool's primary office districts are the Commercial District (Old Hall Street, Exchange Flags, Tithebarn Street — the city's established financial services and professional services hub), the Waterfront (Princes Dock, Atlantic Pavilion, Royal Albert Dock — prestigious waterfront addresses in Grade I and Grade II Listed buildings), and the Baltic Triangle (an emerging creative, digital, and co-working location in the city's southern warehouse district).
Liverpool's commercial property market is at a pivotal moment. Rising demand, constrained supply, council-backed intervention to unlock new-build office development, and a series of transformative waterfront and cultural developments are all converging. For businesses considering a North West presence outside Manchester, Liverpool offers compelling cost advantages, a distinctive waterfront location, and a city in the early stages of a new development cycle.
If you are looking for commercial space in Liverpool or the wider Merseyside region, post your requirement on REmatch — describe what you need, and landlords and agents with matching property will respond directly.
About RE:match
RE:match is the UK's reverse commercial property marketplace — where business owners post what space they need and landlords respond. Founded by a RICS-qualified chartered surveyor, our platform is built around how commercial property deals really get done.
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