Customised workplaces for Guangzhou’s emerging sectors

Guangzhou's digital content and fast-growing retail sectors are transforming the local office market. Led by gaming, homegrown cosmetics, e-commerce and cross-border services, these "new forces" are expanding rapidly, fuelled by corporate globalisation and technological advances. According to JLL, emerging industries have become the primary engine of incremental leasing demand, capturing 25% of all new leases by area between 2025 and mid-2026. 

This shift is exemplified by the e-commerce sector. A leading Guangzhou agency strengthened the self-operated model through the acquisition of foreign personal care brands. To support this expansion, this company is growing its office footprint across Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai. This positions the company to access premium talent pools, stay close to key consumer markets and drive end-to-end brand management.

The scaling and specialisation of emerging sectors are reshaping the office market through distinct geographic clustering. Industry leaders have taken the lead in occupying Grade A buildings, creating hubs of talent, data and market synergies that Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) are now actively following. Bolstered by sustained profitability improvements and more favourable rents in the Grade A market, SMEs are accelerating their relocation from peripheral properties to prime downtown locations to capture these agglomeration benefits. This trend is particularly evident in the cosmetics sector, which is increasingly separating office functions from manufacturing and relocating headquarters to the Pazhou West Zone. 

The influx of creative and agile talent is redefining workplace design. JLL observes that companies in Guangzhou’s tech and consumer sectors are prioritising empowering, dynamic spaces that dismantle physical barriers to spark innovation. Through open-plan formats, movable furniture and social bars, these flexible setups support daily brainstorming and provide the strategic agility to scale teams up or down instantly.

Figure 1: Workplace preferences and trends among Guangzhou’s emerging sectors

^{Source: JLL Research}

Beyond general flexibility, many tenants require tailored spatial solutions. Cross-border e-commerce and beauty companies now frequently integrate forward stocking locations, product selection centres and livestreaming studios directly within their office or building podiums. This arrangement shortens management spans and improves operational efficiency. Similarly, top gaming companies are closing the gap between workspace and workflow, ensuring developers have instant access to high-efficiency technical support in the office building.

Figure 2: Customized office solutions tailored for emerging sectors

^{Source: JLL Research}

To capture demand from emerging sectors amid intense competition, office landlords must adapt. Leading Grade A landlords in Guangzhou are showing that a unified framework combining hardware excellence, service ecosystems and strategic operations is essential:

• Hardware excellence: Enhancing air conditioning, power, network infrastructure and other core facilities to ensure stable, high-performance operations.
• Service ecosystem: Elevating tenant experience through overtime facility support, shared amenities and dedicated leisure zones.
• Strategic operations: Focusing on targeted industry leasing, capital efficiency, smart management upgrades and green certifications to align with the specific needs of today’s tenants.