Voice of the Region Capital Edition: City Fringe – Straight outta Compton

Tough times lie in wait for the industry’s squeezed middle, according to straight-talking Compton co-founder Shaun Simons, who warns of a very difficult year ahead both for average agents and for owners of mid-range office stock.

Compton is a City Fringe office specialist and sits at the top of the area’s Radius On-Demand Rankings, with 818,000 sq ft transacted across 144 deals.

Simons believes there has been a polarisation of the office market whereby demand will remain strong for either best-in-class stock or for “cheap and nasty” space so long as it is priced accordingly. The problem area, he believes, will be all the “sludge” that falls between the two. He also believes many “average” agents who prospered prior to the pandemic are going to struggle as the market becomes increasingly competitive.