The Office Group is preparing to rebrand all of its flexible workspace sites as Fora a little over a year after the pair’s merger.
TOG, whose offices have been unbranded until now, will use the Fora brand across all 70 of its locations in the UK and Germany. Members of all sites will have access to the whole portfolio.
Enrico Sanna, chief executive of The Office Group – which will remain the name of the parent company – said: “Today’s shift to a single brand is the next step in our exciting growth story. We have grown sustainably for 20 years by responding to the evolving needs of the workforce, and we are seeing huge demand for premium spaces like ours, which is evidenced through occupancy rates of more than 90% in our established locations.”
He added: “We are looking forward to building on that trust as we integrate our full network.”
TOG’s portfolio is backed by funds managed by Blackstone and Brockton Capital, and saw its revenue rise by 36% in the year to October 2023. Occupiers brought into the portfolio through last year’s Fora merger include GSK, Ocado, the British Fashion Council and Pangaia.
In the past year the company has opened five new workspaces, including 120,000 sq ft at Chancery House in Holborn and the Blue Fin Building in Bankside. It also has a further 180,000 sq ft in the pipeline for delivery at Argent’s King’s Cross site, which will become the largest space in the portfolio.
TOG confirmed the branding change alongside the publication of new research commissioned by Fora into the workplace and productivity. It found that more than half of workers under the age of 35 felt their performance was impacted by their work environment.
The survey, conducted in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies, recorded responses from 2,000 knowledge workers and found that 44% of respondents of all ages felt their performance was being compromised by their work environment.
London scored poorly for employer appreciation of individual work styles, as 28% of knowledge workers said their bosses were oblivious to their preferences.
As the work-from-home versus return-to-the-office debate rages on, the survey also found that 96% of respondents placed importance on having control over their work style and judged the freedom to work in a manner that suited their personal style to be more important than location.
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