Office leasing reaches 106,000 m² in the third quarter

Large companies are once again choosing Barcelona to locate their headquarters. The office market in the Catalan capital registered a take-up of 106,000 square meters during the third quarter of 2026, a 2.9% increase compared to the 103,000 m² of the same period last year. This figure also represents an improvement over the second quarter, when 72,000 m² were contracted, and confirms higher market activity during the summer months. Almost 30% of this activity is thanks to Inditex, which thus confirms its commitment to large retail spaces in the city. As for 22@, a territory that was supposed to be the large office space of the capital, it still maintains the highest availability figure, although in this third quarter it has decreased by 5.4%.

These are some of the data published this Wednesday by the real estate company Forcadell, which also stated in a press release that the figures "highlight Barcelona's capacity to attract and retain large companies." According to the new report, between January and September, 252,000 square meters of office space were contracted in Barcelona, compared to the 245,000 square meters registered during the first nine months of 2025. In this way, and according to the real estate company, "the market thus maintains a stable contracting pace, slightly higher than that of the previous year." Among the most relevant operations of the quarter are those linked to Inditex, which total around 30,000 square meters and account for approximately 28% of the quarterly contracting.

With these figures in hand, Manel de Bes, Forcadell's Director of Offices, pointed out that "the third quarter leaves a positive balance." In this way, the real estate company foresees good prospects for the end of the year. With 252,000 square meters contracted until September, the market would need to add 48,000 m² during the fourth quarter to reach the 300,000 m² projected for the whole of 2026. In fact, seeing the lightness with which contracting has advanced this third quarter, Forcadell predicts that with the "formalization of some operations currently under negotiation, the final volume could be above this reference."

Currently, the supply of available offices in Barcelona is approximately 1.02 million square meters —and according to the real estate agency— "with an uneven distribution among the main areas of the city." Thus, 22@ continues to be the area of the capital with the most available offices, as there are nearly 385,000 m² to fill. This figure has decreased compared to the previous quarter. Specifically, 43% of the uncontracted office space in 22@ has dropped to 37.6%. Therefore, together with the Zona Fira / Plaça Europa, which concentrates 13.6% of the availability, 22@ gathers a little more than half of all available space in Barcelona. For its part, the city center represents 23.1% of the supply, with more than 236,000 m², while the periphery concentrates 21.6%, with approximately 221,000 m². The CBD, the area between Plaça Francesc Macià and the city exit via Diagonal Avenue, continues to be the area with the lowest availability, with only 4.1% of the total, equivalent to about 42,000 square meters.

Barcelona, by office price 

Regarding prices, Forcadell has specified in its report that rents "have remained practically stable" during this third quarter. However, they have also confirmed that they continue to see "significant differences depending on the location and quality of the properties." Thus, the CBD —considered one of the most attractive areas of the city— maintains the highest rents, at 27.50 €/m² per month. It is followed, however, by 22@, which despite its great availability is also considered an attractive space from which to work, at 21 €/m² per month. In the city center, the rent is 19 €/m² per month, while in the Zona Fira / Plaça Europa it is 16.50 €/m² per month. Lastly, the periphery records a rent of 11.50 €/m² per month.