Demand for suburban offices soars as businesses move towards ‘hybrid’ working
Demand for offices in suburban areas has soared since the coronavirus crisis hit the UK, as businesses seek to move out of city centres to cater to new ways of working that have emerged during the pandemic.
Research published today showed that there has been a 32 per cent rise in demand for suburban office space, while enquiries for city centre locations have fallen ten per cent, in the first quarter of this year compared to 2020.
Office space provider IWG said rural locations have also seen a spike in demand, with enquiries up 20 per cent, as businesses look to reduce commute times for workers.
The shift towards decentralised office structures have been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced employers to trial remote-working strategies.
The “hybrid” approach means employees will split time between home, a local office and occasionally at a corporate headquarters.
IWG said the change has been particularly prevalent in London, as enquiries in towns around the M25 have jumped “significantly”.
Demand in Uxbridge soared 175 per cent, by 52 per cent in High Wycombe and by 24 per cent in Hayes.
Meanwhile, Canada has suffered a 26 per cent drop compared to pre-Covid levels.
Mark Dixon, founder and chief executive of IWG said:“The past 12 months has shown that while businesses can largely operate effectively remotely, they are planning for a hybrid future, companies are moving rapidly towards a hub and spoke model maintaining a central headquarters, but also empowering staff to access smaller co-working spaces, closer to their home and often accessible by foot or by bike.
“In the UK alone during the last two years IWG has opened almost all its new centres in non-city centre environments, and today globally we are seeing enquiries and demand for suburban locations across our brands including Regus and Spaces exponentially increase”.