A guide to serviced offices, fitted and managed offices and office space for rent in Reading, as well as general information that may be useful if you are thinking of renting office space in the town.
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History & Geography
Reading is one of South East England’s most idyllic large towns, spreading from the foothills of the Berkshire Downs to a low ridge on the southern edge of the Thames floodplain. Located just west of London, near the confluence of the River Thames and the River Kennet, Reading’s location has made it a perfect river port, and it was as a trading centre in Roman Britain that Reading was born.
After the departure of the Romans, the town continued to thrive as a regional trading hub, its prosperity was only briefly interrupted in 870 CE by an invading Danish army that occupied the city for a year. After the invasion of Britain by the Normans in 1066, William the Conqueror built Battle Abbey in the area to commemorate his victory.
In 1121, Henry I built Reading Abbey, and the town continued to grow in population and size, becoming by 1525 the largest town in Berkshire.
By the 17th century, Reading had a population of more than 5,000 and had developed a thriving cloth trade. During the English Civil War, Reading was occupied by Royalist forces and subsequently besieged by a Parliamentary army. Reading’s cloth trade was badly hampered by the hostilities and never fully recovered.
During the 18th century, Reading developed the brewing industry for which it later became famous, as well as major ironworks. With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the town became a significant manufacturing centre, its population grew, and the arrival of the railway increased its importance. Reading grew further during the 20th century, and large housing projects were built on the city’s outskirts. The Lower Early, which was built in 1977, was one of the largest housing estates in Europe.
Today, the city is an important commercial centre, with many commuting to work in its diverse industries.
Economy
Reading is the commercial centre of the Thames Valley and one of Southern England’s most important economic hubs. Many major British companies are headquartered in Reading, and a significant number of multinationals have a presence there. Among the companies which have called Reading home are BG Group, ING Direct, Microsoft, Oracle and Yell Group. PepsiCo, Wrigley and Prudential all have offices in the city. Information technology is an important industry in Reading, as the city was home to the now-defunct International Computers Limited. Agilent Technologies, Cisco, Ericsson, Nvidia, Regus, SGI, Symantec, Verizon Business and Websense all have had large operations in the town.
Reading is also a major retail centre, attracting visitors from all over the region to its shops. A recent poll placed Reading 16th among the best-performing retail centres in the country. Reading’s main shopping area is on Broad Street, where the Oracle, the biggest shopping mall in Reading, is based. The town has no indoor market; however, there is an outdoor market on Hosier Street in the town centre, and a farmer’s market on two Saturdays of every month.
Culture & Tourism
Reading is not a tourist magnet like the capital, only 40 miles away, but it does attract a fair number of visitors throughout the year and is considered a cultural centre of the region. Reading sees the most visitors for the famous Reading Festival in August every year. The festival has been running since 1971 and is one of the largest music festivals in the UK, attracting almost 100,000 people every year. The Reading Beer Festival, held in May, is another major attraction, and since its debut in 1999, it has become one of the largest beer festivals in England. Reading also has a thriving theatre scene, with its two most important venues being the Hexagon and 21 South Street.
The unofficial symbol of Reading is the statue of the Maiwand Lion in Forbury Gardens, a public garden in the outer court of Reading Abbey. The statue commemorates the officers of the Berkshire Regiment who died in the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan in 1880. Another landmark that has become distinctive of Reading is the Blade, erected in 2009. Standing 420 feet tall, the building can be seen from much of the surrounding countryside. The town’s oldest and most famous church is the Reading Minster, founded in the 7th century.
Transportation
Reading station is a major junction point of the national rail system. The station acts as an important transfer point and terminus for many national lines. The station underwent a £850 million refurbishment, completed in 2015. Reading is linked to both Paddington and Waterloo in London. Other stations in the area are Reading West, Tilehurst and Earley.
The opening of the Elizabeth Line in May 2022 was welcomed by Reading, and journeys to the capital were reduced to just 25 minutes.
The nearest airport to Reading is London Heathrow, approximately 25 miles away, with an express bus service or train available. In the town itself, the main form of public transport is the local bus network; however, the town has been knwon to become congested during peak hours. Reading also operates a bike-sharing system with approximately 1,000 bicycles available from 150 docking stations around the city.
Office space to rent in Reading
The Reading office market comprises town-centre office space and space on the outskirts of the city, in large office parks such as Green Park Business Park and Arlington Business Park. Approximately 56 per cent of available space is located out of town, though centre availability rose above one million square feet in 2013.
There is, however, a lack of Grade A office space in the town centre. Particularly with ESG credentials such as BREEAM Outstanding, Fitwell 3* and RESET Air certifications.
That being said, the development pipeline, which included the Here + Now campus and One Station Hill, would provide space that meets these criteria.
In 2018, Reading’s office market saw a significant upturn in demand both in the town centre and the out-of-town locations. This led to an increase in town centre rentals, with prime rents standing at £30 per square foot. In contrast, out-of-town headline rents stood at £27.50 per square foot.
Take-up was 210,641 square feet in 2021, a 3 per cent reduction from the previous year.
In 2023, prime office rent was slightly north of £40 per square foot, and local agents believe Reading’s first £50 per square foot deal will be at One Station Hill, which offered ESG credentials and attracted high-profile occupiers such as Microsoft and EY.
In October 2025, it was reported that Reading’s take-up by way of office lettings was expected to surpass 600,000 square feet, marking the first time this milestone had been achieved in over two decades.
In Q1 2026, it was reported that take-up in Reading in 2025 was 52 per cent above the five‑year average, supported by requirements for out-of-town, single-let buildings with high security specifications from defence and manufacturing occupiers. The official total take-up figure was not released.
Reading, like most other office markets, was seeing a flight to quality among occupiers in 2026, leading to high demand for Grade A space.
Due to continued challenges for developers, there was a shortage of best-in-class office space, which was expected to put upward pressure on prime office rents in Reading.
There are 16 flex office space providers in Reading that offer flexible alternatives to leased office space, such as private serviced offices with all-inclusive fixed-cost pricing, fitted and managed office suites and corporate coworking desk space membership plans.
The solutions offer the flexibility of short-term contracts with the practicality of all-inclusive pricing.
The providers and operators offer their solutions across 21 buildings in Reading, in locations including Arlington Business Park, Berkshire Place, Blagrave Street, Forbury Road, Green Park, Swallowfield, Thames Tower, Thames Valley Park, The Blade, and Winnersh Triangle.
Profiles of all Reading office providers are available in this directory.
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