Large leases such as those by KPMG are currently only isolated cases
A major deal has reminded the Düsseldorf office leasing market of its potential in the second quarter of 2026: KPMG has leased significantly more than 10,000 m² in One Plaza at Karl-Arnold-Platz 1a, delivering the largest single deal since 2023. As a result, the second quarter with a total of 60,300 m² is at least statistically better than the previous quarter. Overall, the Düsseldorf market reached 112,200 m² at the end of the first half of the year, which is eight percent below the previous year. In the same period, the Düsseldorf city area accounted for 103,100 m².
"Düsseldorf's office market continues to attract attention beyond the city limits – be it through extraordinary projects such as the KöTower and the leasing of 4,500 m² by RKW Architekten in the first quarter or the major deal in the second quarter by the world-renowned KPMG brand," says Marcel Abel, Managing Director and Branch Manager of JLL Düsseldorf. "But these leases are unfortunately isolated cases at the moment and there is little on a comparable scale, which means that although the prime rent continues to have growth potential, take-up is restrained because there are hardly any large-scale lettings."
This focus on individual cases is also evident when looking at the eight largest deals in the course of the year to date, all of which were in the Kennedydamm (28,400 m²), City (19,800 m²) and North (8,900 m²) sub-markets. "At the same time, many companies have opted for a contract extension at the previous location instead of a new lease – but with shorter terms in order to remain flexible," says Abel.
The market, on the other hand, recorded a significant increase in new buildings. A total of 70,200 m² of office space was completed in the first half of the year – 63 per cent more than in the same period last year. Of this, around 46 percent came to the open market. "In view of a vacancy rate of 11.8 percent, this may seem strange, but it is precisely these modern spaces in good locations that are in demand, while the base of the vacancy is usually based on outdated space in peripheral locations," explains Marcel Abel. Meanwhile, the prime rent remained at 46 euros.
