‘North shoring’ is one of the trends that’s been talked about a lot in property circles over the past year or so, and it's undoubtedly the case that some large corporate occupiers have made the jump and transferred large volumes of roles out of London or from the South East to more northern locations. However, this belies the fact that when they’re considering relocating, most corporate occupiers tend to stick to areas they know.

We analysed every Grade A office relocation over 20,000 sq ft that’s taken place in Greater London and the South East since 2010 and found that on average occupiers relocate just 6.9 miles. Most don't even move that far: the most common relocation distance was just 0.5 miles, the average being skewed upwards by a handful of longer-distance moves.

Rents in Greater London and the South East are some of the highest in the country, so why do most occupiers spurn the opportunity to cut costs? Firstly, most are driven more by finding better quality accommodation and less by reducing rents – if they can find good space nearby at a rent identical or close to what they’re already paying they’re more likely to plump for this than to take a leap into the unknown. Secondly, a long-distance relocation risks significant disruption and the danger of losing staff who don’t want to make the move.

This is evident in the variation seen between the relocation distances of different types of business. While most businesses cluster around an average distance of approximately four or five miles, the average for businesses in the ‘manufacturing sector’ is double that figure at 10.9 miles. Why? Manufacturing includes pharmaceutical businesses and their workforces tend to be highly skilled experts. These individuals may not be able to easily find a comparable role in a similar company close by and are therefore more prepared to stick with their existing employer even in the face of a longer commute. In other types of businesses, where workforce skills can be transferred to multiple companies, the risk of losing staff during a move is greater, and therefore companies are more likely to stay in the same neighbourhood.

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