KONE Lift Data: Londoners Are Returning to the Office

Data from KONE, which has monitored more than one billion lift journeys in 10 cities in seven countries over the past five years, shows Londoners are returning to the office faster than their European counterparts, The Times reports. The work-from-home trend brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly reversing course in London, which was one of only two cities — the other is Paris — where year-on-year growth accelerated in 2025 versus 2024. In London, lifts were 11% more active in January 2026 than in January 2025. In Paris, that number was 8%. Each month of 2025 saw year-on-year growth for lift use in London compared to the equivalent month the year before. Although lift use — along with demand for prime office space — is robust in places like London, it's a different story in other European cities. In Frankfurt, Germany, there were 6% fewer lift journeys this year versus last year. Rotterdam, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; and Berlin, Germany posted similar numbers.