Flexible office provider Spacemade is banking on a shift towards more neighbourhood-focused working models, with the launch of two new workspaces in outer London.
The sites, in Wimbledon and Cricklewood, will bring Spacemade’s network of UK locations to nine, and will add a combined 16,000 sq ft of localised flexible workspace to the market.
Spacemade has partnered with Wittington Investments to operate a 6,000 sq ft co-working space on Wimbledon Village High Street, SW19.
Its other new site is a 10,000 sq ft warehouse building in the centre of Cricklewood, NW2, owned by landlord Ziser.
The openings are designed to capitalise on a predicted rise in people wanting a place to work that is separate from home and the central office.
Research commissioned by Spacemade last year found that 43% of the 350 Londoners it polled wanted the option to use such a facility.
It is a view shared by many in the flexible office sector, including Mark Dixon, chief executive of IWG, the world’s biggest flex operator. The London-listed company announced a pivot to a more regionalised office model earlier this year.
Dan Silverman, co-founder at Spacemade, said: “People no longer want to work all week from home, but neither are they rushing to commute back into central headquarters. Increasingly we are seeing demand to work near home.
“As working behaviours become more varied and increasingly personalised, we are creating individual spaces that offer flexibility and variety with the benefit of access to our growing network of spaces across the UK.
“Each of our workspaces are shaped by their locality as we truly believe there is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach to the office. By partnering with an operator, landlords can provide a hospitality-led and flexible offer directly to their customers.”
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