CBRE‘s UK Flex Market Update 2024 highlights the continued growth and maturity of flexible workspaces across major UK cities, driven by corporate demand and a shift towards high-quality offerings. Key markets like Manchester and Birmingham are seeing increased take-up in smaller, premium spaces, while London remains strong, with large occupiers benefiting from pre-let opportunities for customized setups.

The trend of “flight to quality” shows that occupiers prioritize well-designed, sustainable environments, often choosing flex spaces over conventional leases. As the market matures, we expect consolidation, with operators and landlords joining forces to create more expansive portfolios. If you’re more interested in this specific topic, we suggest you tune into our latest interview with Phil Kirschner on the TWIC Podcast.

Kayley DiCicco from Expansive shared her take on the pro-office vs pro-WFH debate, advocating for flexible, adaptable workspaces that cater to diverse workforce needs, noting that forcing employees into rigid work setups is counterproductive.

Dane Dawson shares that EXPANSIVE are set to open their 7th location in Chicago in September.

The recent report by CoworkingMag (part of Yardi) highlights key developments and trends among the top 15 coworking brands in the U.S. this year.

The top 15 US brands (by number of locations) are: Regus (972), HQ (204), WeWork, (173) Industrious (145), Spaces (117), Premier Workspaces (86), Office Evolution (79), Workstyle Flexible Spaces (65), Venture X (46), Intelligent Office (43), Expansive (42), LocalWorks (36), COhatch (34), Serendipity Labs (28) and Lucid Private Offices (27).

What’s changed since the last report? Regus (part of IWG) saw a 17% growth since December 2022, keeping first position. HQ climbed to second place with a meteoric 240% growth from May 2022. WeWork dropped 1 place after closing 73 US locations. Lucid Private Offices joined the top 15 with the second largest growth rate of 23%.

Overall, the U.S. coworking market added 1,166 new locations from December 2022 to the beginning of May 2024 – a 20% increase in the span of more than one year. Meanwhile, the top 15 coworking operators grew their inventory by 14% in total – a sum of 252 new locations.

Andrea Pirrotti-Dranchak from EXPANSIVE chats with Natasha Asare from MeetingRoomz about boosting foot traffic, member satisfaction and income by providing spaces that are more relevant to how people really work today.