By 2030, Bengaluru will possess 330-340 million square feet of office space in India: report

The primary demand generators for Bengaluru’s office market are anticipated to be the technology, engineering, manufacturing, and BFSI sectors. 

The Confederation of Indian Industry and CBRE report projects that Bengaluru, the country’s IT hub, will maintain its dominant position in its commercial real estate market by 2030, with 330-340 million square feet of office stock.

Bengaluru has seen its office stock more than double to over 223 million square feet as of June 2024, from 100 million square feet in 2013, to comprise the highest share in the segment among all major cities in the country, according to a report titled “Karnataka Horizon: Navigating Real Estate Excellence in the South,” which was released on July 10.

The total stock in India as of June 2024 was 880.7 million square feet, with Bengaluru contributing the most at 25%, according to the report. It also stated that over the previous few years, the city’s annual absorption of roughly 15016 million square feet had occurred on average.

Bengaluru is anticipated to grow significantly in the periphery over the next few years. According to Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and CEO-India, South-East Asia, Middle East and Africa, CBRE India, “the commercial sector is slated to expand significantly in the northern, eastern, and southern parts coupled with the availability of large-sized land parcels and multiple upcoming infrastructure initiatives.”

Which sectors are driving demand?

Technology, engineering and manufacturing, and BFSI are predicted to be the main sectors driving demand for Bengaluru’s office market until 2030. Emerging sectors like life sciences, aviation, and automobile are also anticipated to contribute to the rise in demand.

According to the report, the technology sector currently makes up 30-35% of the city’s annual absorption, mostly in the commercial centers of Outer Ring Road and Whitefield.

According to the report, between 2022 and June 2024, Bengaluru accounted for 41% of demand among India’s global capability centers (GCCs). It attributed this achievement to several of Garden City’s offerings, such as its highly qualified talent pool, first-rate Grade-A assets, and a robust  IT ecosystem.

Karnataka’s thriving IT sector needs to keep developing if it wants to stay competitive. According to Ram Chandani, Managing Director of Advisory and Transactions Services at CBRE India, “developing premium, sustainable tech spaces with cutting-edge facilities will be the key.”

Shailendra Naidu, a senior executive director of advisory and transaction services at CBRE, lists a few of the market’s long-term challenges ease of doing business, the high cost of land, and effective space utilization. “Many development companies in this area use joint ventures to purchase land. In that model, there can be challenges going ahead,” he said.

Home goods, fashion, and entertainment drive demand in the retail sector.

Bengaluru’s retail real estate stock, which held the second-highest share among the top Indian cities at 24%, more than doubled to over 16 million square feet as of June from 7.2 million square feet in 2013, according to the report. According to the research, this measure will rise to 20-30 million square feet by 2030, a 1.4-fold increase.

According to the report, the main drivers of absorption in Bengaluru’s retail market are department stores, fashion and apparel stores, and entertainment. Together, these segments account for roughly 20-30% of the city’s annual demand. According to the statement, the capital city’s average yearly absorption in this sector is between 1.5 and 2 million square feet.

As per the report, Bengaluru is a high-achieving city that houses three of the 17 listed malls in the country.