Site Logo

Demand for flexible working solutions continue to rise

Interest in co-working spaces has almost doubled over the past five years, with flexible workspace now accounting for 7 per cent of total office space in the UK, according to a new report by Instant Offices.

As focus shifts from a 'business first' mentality to creating the perfect work-life balance, the UK Flexible Workspace report from Instant Offices investigates the popularity of flexible working and coworking solutions ahead and where this growing trend will go in the future.

No longer primarily for startups, freelancers or businesses with lower headcount, the flexible office market, or 'co-working space' continues to grow outside of the core city as the industry becomes normalised in the sector, with the focus being more north of the river, in traditionally higher value areas.

Although London has previously been the primary focus for co-working space companies, there has been a heavy shift in attention to cities such as Edinburgh, Cambridge and Birmingham, who have all seen an increase in emphasis as demand continues to grow.

Areas with the Highest Demand Growth (2017 vs 2019)

 Harrow

 433%

 Bromley

 230%

 Luton

 146%

 Milton Keynes

 144%

 Cardiff

 136%

 Derby

 106%

 Nottingham

 93%

 Middlesbrough

 84%

 Glasgow

 81%

 Leeds

 60%

 

Brexit uncertainty has left businesses unsure about how to proceed. Research from Instant Offices reveals 70 per cent of small companies have no strategic plan for Brexit while on a fifth have a positive attitude towards Britain leaving the EU. Nonetheless, the demand for flexible working and co-working spaces has steadily increased over the last five years and continues to rise. Over the previous six months, the flex space market has grown 7 per cent, now amounting to more than 85 million square feet of the UK office market.

John Williams, CMO at The Instant Group said, "it has been a remarkable year for flex space. In line with our predictions from 2018's report, we are seeing a proliferation of choice, with client demand forcing operators and landlords to aggressively evolve their models to differentiate and specialise. Now that commercial real estate as a whole has started to wake up to the needs of the end-user, the sector will have to become smarter at finding and using big sets of data to assess in detail where this demand is coming from and how it is going to change over time."

More News
1 month ago
How to prepare for the new changes to employment laws
Employment laws are due an overhaul in April, with changes to flexible working, request amends, and protection for new parents and carer's leave, among other changes. Vivek Dodd, CEO of Skillcast, warns that failure to comply could result in serious consequences.
1 month ago
British Safety Council Keep Thriving workshop to take place in Cardiff
As part of its charitable work, British Safety Council is offering SMEs and micro-sized organisations in Cardiff the chance to attend a 3-hour workshop, delivered by its Being Well Together experts, completely free of charge to explore how to develop a well-being strategy.
1 month ago
Mitel appoints new SVP and Head of International Region
Mitel, experts in business communications, has announced the appointment of Simon Skellon as SVP and Head of International Region.
1 month ago
VIPRE Security Group appoints new General Manager of Business Security Division
VIPRE Security Group, a cybersecurity solutions provider, has appointed Usman Choudhary as General Manager of its Business Security Division, encompassing VIPRE EDR and Advanced Threat Protection for Email, SafeSend for Email, and Inspired eLearning security awareness training.
1 month ago
Ascentae unveils smart workplace experience centre
Ascentae, a UK-based workplace solution and value-added distributor, has announced the opening of a new Experience Centre in the heart of Clerkenwell, London.
1 month ago
IT at forefront of sustainability efforts, but lacks proper tools and expertise
A report commissioned by OpenText has found that IT departments are playing a major role in achieving corporate sustainability objectives and cited the lack of innovative tools and expertise as the primary challenges they face in meeting those goals.
1 month ago
Harrison provides bespoke manufacturing services to B&Q stores
B&Q set out to find a partner that could provide a range of display components, including a new-look dump bin. While the products had already been designed by B&Q, Harrison was invited to tender for the project at a later date.
1 month ago
Leyard Europe LED supports new educational exhibition
A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), Europe’s flagship laboratory for research into life sciences.
1 month ago
Crawley Town Centre BID invests in AI visitor behaviour platform
Crawley BID has invested in Place Informatics Visitor Behaviour Platform to help understand, manage, and improve town centre services and events.
1 month ago
Viking re-establishes presence in Ireland
Office supplies reseller Viking is re-establishing its presence in Ireland with the opening of a distribution centre in Dublin, the development of a local sales team, and the creation of a local customer service centre.

Login / Sign up