New Work, an independent flexible office operator in Central and Eastern Europe, has secured new funding to accelerate the implementation of their 360° Workspace Solution strategy.

The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and its alliance partner Facility Management Netherlands (FMN) have announced that in 2020 World Workplace Europe will again be held at the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam, 18 to 20 March. Property Forum is proud to support the event as media partner.

According to CBRE’s recent research, The Proptech Index 2019, 70% of occupiers from Central and Eastern Europe intend to raise their level of real estate technology investment in the next few years, mostly in a more people-centric direction. A new generation of consumers and workers (mostly Millennials and Gen Z) are incentivizing employers and landlords to recognize that technology is crucial in their workplace.

User expectations have changed significantly during the past couple of years and this is a challenge that most landlords do not take lightly. Mátyás Gereben MRICS, Country Manager of CPI Hungary talked to Property Forum about the changing needs of office tenants and the shopping centre of the future.

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.

The increased interest of global corporations in coworking spaces was a notable trend that impacted on the office markets of the four largest capital cities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in 2018. The total flexible office stock of Budapest, Moscow, Prague and Warsaw stands at 286,000 sqm, accounting for approximately 1% of the combined office market of these cities (29.9 million sqm). Demand generated by coworking operators in 2018 made up 5% of the overall office take-up in the CEE capital cities.

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.

3.5 million sqm is the amount of flexible office space currently offered by operators on the 20 biggest office markets in Europe. Warsaw is ranked as the ninth biggest flex city in Europe. Last year, the city saw the largest growth of flexible space on the continent.

Landlords have never been under such scrutiny, said Colliers International. Tenants want more flexibility, increasingly diverse locations, heightened service levels and a culture that puts their business needs at the heart of their real estate choices