Growth of the flexible office market in the UK
With widespread media coverage of the co-working trend and more businesses becoming interested in collaborative spaces, the flexible workspace sector is enjoying its most high profile year yet. The topic is dominating headlines, with everything from WeWork’s unstoppable growth and strong performance from Regus, to a large take-up of space from brands like The Office Group gaining coverage. Data confirms that serviced offices are enjoying record demand from occupiers and a consistent increase in rates for workstations.
Occupier enquiries for flexible workspace across the UK saw double-digit growth in 2015/16, with the exception of London, which still saw an increase of 9%. The area with the highest level of enquiries in the past year was the South East, with the South West a close second. This suggests the flexible workspace trend is spreading from London to surrounding markets.
Area with the Highest Workstation Rates
Workstation rates have increased most in the South East of England. These prices are exacerbated by the fact that, compared to the rest of the UK, the area has seen constrained growth in the supply of space. Across the country, workstation rates are increasing above the rate of inflation as demand exceeds supply, but at 10%, the largest increase by far is in the South East.
A Rise in Enquiries
Enquiries and workstation rates have risen in the outer fringe of London, or the ‘Donut’ that includes areas such as Kingston, Croydon and Ealing. Showing aggressive growth in rates and enquiries, these suburban locations have seen a 12.5% increase in supply. This is because occupiers are choosing more affordable locations with good transport links over central London.
Growth of Flexible Workspace Centres
Centres offering flexible workspace grew by 11% across the UK in 2015/16, which represents a solid growth in supply from large operations like i2, BE Offices, Regus, The Office Group and London Executive Offices (Leo).
Occupier demand remains robust, and this market is set to expand even further in the coming months.
There are currently 2,939 serviced office centres in the UK, which shows a YOY increase of 11%. This makes the UK the second largest market next to the US, where there are 3,168 centres, excluding co-working specific sites.
The increased adoption of flexible space by corporate occupiers is one of the major drivers behind the record growth in workstation rates across UK cities. The corporate property mix now includes agile office solutions for large occupiers, and with the demand for larger workspaces of 40 desks or more, the increased take up of flexible space by corporates is noteworthy.
Learn more about the growth of the flexible office market in the UK or speak to a specialist at Instant Offices.
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