WOTSO has already announced three new sites in 2025, including the takeover of a former WeWork space in North Sydney, a 600sqm location in Kogarah in southern Sydney, and a site in Whangārei, New Zealand purchased for $NZ3.7 million.

The North Sydney location will follow WOTSO’s successful strategy of placing coworking space on the ground floor with street-facing windows, while the Kogarah site was chosen for its strong transport links and population growth. With these additions, WOTSO will operate 33 flexspaces across Australia and New Zealand, with six new sites opening in the next three months including additional locations in Melbourne, Jamisontown, and Te Tōangaroa.

A continuation of new data from WeWork‘s broker survey focused on midsize companies shows that traditional long-term commercial leases are falling out of favor as organizations with 10-100 employees overwhelmingly prefer shorter commitments. Medium-length lease terms of 2-4 years have emerged as the most popular option at 41%, followed by 5-10 year leases at 31%. Short-term leases of 12-24 months account for 23% of preferences, while traditional 10+ year commitments have become nearly obsolete at just 5%.

In other news, the sky is blue. All jokes aside, it’s not breaking news that companies are opting for shorter leases, but it certainly is helpful to have better insight in what the breakout looks like between lengths of leases. Especially for operators that are looking to add more team suites or are considering expanding to new locations or are even planning on pricing incentives.

A poll run by WeWork highlights the top considerations for midsize companies when selecting office space, according to brokers.

Cost-effective lease terms dominate decision-making at 45%, followed by location and commute ease at 23%, while scalability and flexibility rank third at 21%. Amenities and collaborative spaces, though important for workplace experience, received the lowest priority at 11%. These findings suggest financial considerations remain paramount for midsize organizations despite growing emphasis on flexibility and employee experience in commercial real estate discussions.

Are you emphasizing how your space addresses these points when dealing with your local office brokers?

WeWork has received approval from Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) to acquire the remaining 49.9% stake in its Brazilian operations from SoftBank Latin America Fund. The acquisition brings WeWork Brazil fully under the company’s global structure, which CEO John Santora described as an important step to consolidate their position in a key Latin American market.

With 28 locations across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Rio Grande do Sul, the integration aims to optimize processes, improve operational efficiency, and provide a more seamless experience for members looking to expand in Latin America.

Christoph Fahle, founder of Betahaus and One Coworking, shared his take on the recent news that Betahaus Hamburg has acquired a former WeWork location, demonstrating how local coworking operators can successfully compete with global networks.

The post highlights five key advantages of local operators: established community trust, deep market knowledge, operational stability, cultural authenticity, and flexible partnership approaches. This transition represents a broader industry evolution where the coworking sector is maturing beyond the hype cycle into a more locally-rooted model, suggesting a potential shift in the flexible workspace landscape.