The English capital came ahead of every other urban centre based on its overall scores in a wide range of qualifying categories, including access to markets, transport links, telecoms capabilities and the value of its rented office space.
London was ahead of the pack in the same poll last year and was, for the second year running, followed by Paris and Frankfurt, with Brussels and Barcelona switching places compared with C&W’s 2009 results to finish fourth and fifth respectively.
“Despite the financial crisis that has gripped the world over the last few years, London has retained its position as the number one place businesses want to be in Europe,” said James Young, head of C&W’s London office.
“Ultimately, this is a city that has huge cultural, geographic and language advantages, although it must work hard to ensure that businesses are attracted by government policy and not over-regulated or taxed away.”
In terms of availability and value for money office space, there are apparently very few regions of Europe or the world to compete with the north-west of England, with Leeds rated as the top city for the value of its office space and Manchester listed second in terms of availability.
Back in August, a report from CB Richard Ellis rated office space to rent in Manchester as being the most popular in the UK outside of London and its surrounding areas.
Editor’s notes: In March 2023, research from Savills found that Madrid, Paris and Stockholm led the ‘return to the office’, with occupancy levels just 10 per cent lower than the pre-pandemic European average of 70 per cent.
The same research found that occupancy levels in London’s West End were at 50 per cent, and in the City of London, they were at 48 per cent.
The research cited various reasons for differences in occupancy levels between cities, including the cost of commuting and the average distance of commutes.
As of June 2026, Cushman & Wakefield no longer published its best cities in which to do business report.
However, Startup Blink, in its Best Cities for Startups & Entrepreneurs in the World 2026 report, ranked London third, following San Francisco and New York.