Flexible working company Huckletree is targeting a pipeline of new UK offices totalling more than 100,000 sq ft, as part of a major expansion.
The company currently operates about 150,000 sq ft of flexible offices across the UK and Ireland but plans to nearly double that over the next 12 months.
Co-founder Gaby Hersham said this would be across a handful of deals, the biggest of which would be around 40,000 sq ft devoted to sustainability-focused occupiers.
Huckletree has yet to settle on a specific location for the sustainability hub, but is targeting sites in central London.
The space would need to meet strict environmental, social and governance criteria as Huckletree is also in the process of applying for B Corp status. The company has appointed Cushman & Wakefield on the office requirement.
Huckletree, which Hersham co-founded with entrepreneur Andrew Lynch in 2014, already operates flexible offices in Shoreditch, Soho, Westminster and White City, as well as Manchester and Dublin.
Those are all loosely themed in terms of the types of occupiers they are aimed at. Huckletree Shoreditch, for example, is aimed at challenger tech companies, Soho at investment and venture capital firms, and Westminster at government-tech.
The approach is designed to help companies working in similar sectors meet and collaborate. The latest expansion is part of an attempt to capitalise on the bounce back of the flexible office market post-pandemic.
Companies such as WeWork and IWG have both reported sharp increases in demand in recent quarters, and Canary Wharf Group last month launched its MadeFor flex office platform.
Hersham said: “The office market is seeing a welcome wave of attention, as the new golden child of the London property market [post-pandemic].
“As confidence increases and businesses look to evolve during the recovery stages, we are seeing high levels of demand for premium spaces that breeds positive collaboration and culture.
“The mindset and habits of employees have now changed and employers will do well to listen to staff and curate office space that not only provides a flexible way of working but also a destination that celebrates the fundamental purpose of the office – bringing people together.”
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