Corporate real estate strategy will be defined by resilience now, report suggests

Resilience, not scale or speed, will define the next phase of corporate real estate strategy across EMEA, as occupiers face a convergence of pressures reshaping how and where they operate. A new report from Colliers, Building Resilience: 5 Megatrends Redefining Corporate Real Estate, identifies five long-term megatrends – AI-enabled workforces, demographic shifts, energy scarcity, climate risk and a shifting global order – that are fundamentally changing how organisations choose locations, design workplaces and manage risk. While the full impact will play out over time, many companies remain underprepared for the scale of disruption.

Across the region, these forces are already impacting day-to-day decision-making. Ageing workforces are tightening talent pools, energy constraints are complicating site selection and development, and rising ESG requirements are placing growing pressure on existing portfolios. Competition for tech talent in hubs such as London is also intensifying, forcing organisations to think more broadly about where work can be done.

Rather than being treated separately, these challenges are converging – compressing timelines and increasing the cost of getting real estate strategy wrong. As a result, occupiers are being pushed to prioritise flexibility, resilience and access to talent, alongside cost and efficiency.

“These megatrends will require businesses to fundamentally reassess how they plan, invest in and operationalise locations and workplaces,” said Andrew Hallissey, Chief Executive Officer, Global Occupier Services, Colliers. “As technology reshapes how work gets done, it’s vital to acknowledge the scale of change ahead and present a realistic picture of what the future of real estate and the workplace will look like.”

“Businesses are facing near-unprecedented uncertainty on multiple fronts,” Hallissey added. “It’s never been more important to look beyond day-to-day volatility and focus on the broader forces reshaping location and talent strategies. The impacts will unfold over time, but readiness has to start now.”

The report argues that incremental change will not be enough. Instead, resilience must be designed into real estate strategy – through more flexible portfolios, shorter lease commitments and workplaces that can adapt as roles, technology and headcount evolve. Energy availability and sustainability performance are becoming central to location decisions, while talent strategy is increasingly shaping where organisations choose to operate.

At the same time, companies are rethinking traditional location models. Rather than relying solely on a small number of core hubs, many are adopting more distributed, networked footprints – combining established locations with a broader set of cities that offer access to talent and greater flexibility in a more uncertain environment.

“Trade relationships that once looked settled are being rewritten,” said Damian Harrington, Head of Research, Global Capital Markets and EMEA at Colliers. “Maintaining a presence in major hubs will continue to matter, but growth is increasingly coming from a wider range of locations. The places that matter tomorrow won’t always be the ones that mattered in the past. The message for occupiers is clear: resilience is no longer a defensive consideration, but a core capability. Organisations that build flexibility into their portfolios and align location strategy with talent, energy and risk considerations will be better positioned to navigate disruption and sustain performance.”