Fantastic Services Sees 28% Increase in Downsizing-Related Office Moves as Businesses Reshape Workplaces

London, UK, Aug. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fantastic Services has recorded a 28% increase in downsizing-related commercial moves, with average monthly volumes rising from 70 in the first quarter of 2026 to approximately 90 during the latest measured period.

Fantastic Services commercial removals teams offer a full professional packing service to speed office moves.

The company associates the increase with several overlapping changes in the commercial property market, including office consolidation, refurbishment projects, lease changes and the continuing use of hybrid working. It says more businesses now require temporary storage, phased transport and detailed inventory management because departure dates, fit-out schedules and workplace-readiness deadlines do not always align.

At the current monthly rate, Fantastic Services would complete approximately 1,080 commercial removals over 12 months. This is an annualised projection rather than a completed historical total.

Key findings

• Downsizing-related commercial moves increased by 28% between the two measured periods.
• Average monthly volumes rose from 70 to approximately 90 moves.
• The current monthly rate is equivalent to around 1,080 projects over 12 months.
• Businesses are increasingly incorporating storage and phased transport into relocation plans.
• A recent Oxford-to-London project required two months of interim storage and was valued at more than £36,000.

Hybrid working remains part of the office-planning picture

New UK research indicates that hybrid working remains an established feature of the economy, although individual businesses continue to adjust how frequently employees attend the workplace.

Widely reported research published by the London School of Economics and Political Science and CBI Economics in March 2026 examined responses from 801 UK businesses. Of the 707 firms that had adopted remote or hybrid working at some point, 30% had increased its use since the pandemic and 22% had maintained it. A further 31% had scaled it back, typically by moving from fully remote arrangements to hybrid working, while 16% had discontinued it entirely.

Their findings suggest that many employers are refining flexible-working arrangements rather than choosing between entirely remote and entirely office-based models. Only 13% of surveyed firms considered a return to the office five days a week likely or very likely.

Fantastic Services says these changing working patterns form part of a broader office-planning environment in which businesses are reconsidering how much space they need and which furniture, equipment and documents should remain on site.

Storage is becoming part of relocation planning

Fantastic Services says temporary storage is increasingly planned at the beginning of a commercial move rather than added as an emergency measure after delays occur.

Businesses may need storage while waiting for a new lease to begin, completing refurbishment work, consolidating several premises or determining which assets will be required in a smaller or redesigned office.

A storage-led move divides the relocation into controlled stages. Furniture, equipment and documents can be packed, inventoried and removed before the final workplace becomes available. This can help a company meet the deadline for leaving its existing premises without transferring assets into an unfinished office or arranging several short-notice moves.

“Commercial relocations have become more complex than simply moving everything from one office to another,” said Rune Sovndahl, CEO of Fantastic Services. “Businesses may be reducing their footprint, refurbishing an existing workplace or moving in stages while teams continue working elsewhere.

“Storage gives companies more control when lease dates and fit-out programmes do not match. The important thing is to plan it as part of the move, with a clear inventory and timetable, rather than treating it as a last-minute solution.”

Oxford-to-London project demonstrates a phased move

One recent Fantastic Services project involved collecting a client’s complete office inventory in Oxford and placing it into storage for two months. During this period, the client’s employees worked from home while the replacement workplace was prepared.

Once the new office was ready, the stored contents were transported to central London according to the agreed schedule.

The project, valued at more than £36,000, involved:

• Five removals vans per day
• Three operational days
• Twelve removals professionals each day
• Fifteen van-days in total
• Thirty-six staff-days
• Two months of interim storage

Dedicated account management, quality control, operational coordination and service-experience oversight supported the relocation. The staged approach allowed the client to leave its former premises, protect its office inventory during the intervening period and complete the final move after the London workplace became available.

Planning a storage-led office move

Fantastic Services advises businesses to establish lease deadlines, building restrictions, lift access, parking arrangements, IT requirements and storage needs early in the planning process.

A detailed inventory should identify which assets will move directly to the new premises, enter temporary storage, be redistributed or be removed. Clear labelling and named contacts responsible for different categories of equipment can reduce delays if the timetable changes.

Depending on the workplace, a storage-led relocation can include packing, furniture dismantling, transport, temporary storage, inventory management and final positioning. Fragile, heavy or unusual assets may require separate handling plans rather than being treated as standard office contents.

For full details of Fantastic Services commercial removals expertise visit https://www.fantasticservices.com/commercial/removals-and-storage/

Ends.

About Fantastic Services

Fantastic Services provides commercial removals and storage services across London and the UK. It supports offices, retailers, hospitality businesses and specialist organisations with packing, furniture moving, temporary storage, transport planning and phased relocations. Projects can include standard workplace contents as well as artwork, antiques, medical machinery and other items requiring specialist handling. Commercial work is supported by account management, operational coordination and quality-control processes designed to limit disruption and keep relocations aligned with clients’ property and operational schedules.

Methodology

The 28% increase is based on Fantastic Services’ internal booking records for downsizing-related commercial removals. The comparison is between an average of 70 moves per month in the first quarter of 2026 and approximately 90 per month during the latest measured period.

The percentage has been rounded to the nearest whole number. The figure of approximately 1,080 projects is an extrapolation based on the current monthly average and does not represent a completed annual total.

Fantastic Services commercial removals teams protect equipment and building assets at all stages of business moves.

Press Inquiries

Allan Edwards
allan [at] binarypr.co.uk
07956583080