The market for flexible office space has been experiencing dynamic growth for several years. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things about our daily lives, also in the office sector, and thus has significantly affected tenant preferences. Many tenants have made or are considering a decision to move some of their branches or even headquarters to flexible spaces. The main reasons for the growing interest in flex spaces include the possibility of enlarging or reducing the space, no long-term commitments, and no need for investment outlays, according to an analysis by experts from Mindspace, a global operator of flexible workspaces.

A dramatic shift in the terms, functionality and layout of office rental space is predicted as a direct result of the global pandemic. Organisations could begin to develop innovative strategies that prevent and tackle environmental disasters which encompass disaster recovery plans and hygiene enablers. FreeOfficeFinder.com, an online agent marketing over 2500 UK serviced office providers, has spoken with tenants and landlords to gather perspectives and predictions of how the pandemic will drive changes and considerations for selecting office space.

Saving money and time spent in traffic are the main advantages of working from home, while the main disadvantages are the lack of direct socialization with colleagues and the difficulty in separating professional from personal time, according to a survey conducted by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Last year saw excellent results in the office sector in Poland. Demand was a record breaking 1.6 million sqm. Total stock exceeded 11 million sqm with regional markets accounting for 5.6 million sqm and outperforming Warsaw for the first time. JLL summarised the situation on the Polish office market at the end of 2019.

CBRE advised flexible space provider Regus in the opening of its 12th centre at Sun Business Center project, located within Sun Plaza shopping centre. The decision of Regus responds to the demand for flexible spaces from companies in the northern half of the city, in order to provide an alternative for the employees living in the southern area, their share being estimated at 50% of the total staff.

New Work has been expanding rapidly in the Polish market during 2019. In total, the company has added six locations to its Polish portfolio over the past 10 months.  

JLL is responding to the strengthening trend of flexible offices along with the entry of new centres on the Czech market and introduces a unique consulting service in this sector in the Czech Republic. Tereza Bílá joined the JLL Landlord & Brokerage team as a Flexspace Consultant on June 1st.

The phenomenal growth of the ‘flex’ sector is set to continue apace in years to come, with flexible workspace in EMEA grow by over 50% by 2022 and the number of office workers occupying this space growing to 750,000 across the region. That’s according to global real estate advisor, Colliers International, which recently released its Flexible Workspace Outlook Report 2019.

Spaces has leased 2,700 sqm in the mixed-use Wroclavia centre. Experts from JLL advised Spaces on the negotiation of lease terms. The developer - Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield - was represented by Knight Frank.

There are already 57 centres in Prague that offer flex space. There are 37 providers in the city and most centres can be found in Prague 1. On average, the price of a fixed workplace is CZK 4,800 per month (excluding VAT). JLL, a real estate consulting company, confirmed in its latest report that the trend of flexible spaces is increasingly influencing the Prague office market.