It's anything but a passing fad. Coworking is the new way of looking at office property. Every week or so brings a batch of new spaces with their studied design in the heart of the business districts of major cities: WeWork, Spaces, Wojo and Morning Coworking, to name just the main players in France. And the phenomenon has gone far beyond the spirit of the early days, when freelancers and developers came together in an alternative space to share both the WiFi connection and their vision of the world, is the very word "coworking" still relevant? ? "I never talk about coworking, but about the "new world of working".says Martijn Roordink, one of the originators of the concept with his Spaces brand, launched in 2006. The 21st century version of these business centres boasts 80 % of closed or open-plan offices and 20 % of spaces designed for more occasional use, on a monthly or daily basis, all enhanced by shared services to make life easier for company employees.
Start-ups, SMEs, self-employed professionals... all these customers initially attracted by shared workplaces are now joined by the leaders of the global economy. "Four years ago, large groups accounted for 20 % of our business.explains Christophe BurckartManaging Director France of International Workplace Group (IWG), parent company of Regus business centres and Spaces coworking spaces. They now account for half, with Accenture, Engie, Oracle, Société Générale and Technip among our users."Similarly, theompanies with more than 1,000 employees represent 32 % of WeWork members with names such as Salesforce, BlackRock and Microsoft in the United States or CitiBank in London.
The 21st century version of these business centres includes 80 % of closed or open-plan offices and 20 % of space for more occasional use.
So what are all these venerable companies looking for? For a start, flexible property management with limited-term leases, which are much better suited to the ups and downs of the business than traditional 3-6-9 leases. "Companies, large and small, no longer have seven- or nine-year visibility. Those days are over"underlines Alain Brossé, founder of Welkin & Merakialready present in the Benelux countries, and has been operating in the UK since April.e arrondissement.
If VSEs and SMEs are sensitive to plug & work" side While it's true that these spaces are very attractive - you can set up from one day to the next without having to worry about administrative formalities, buying furniture or IT infrastructure - there are many reasons why large companies choose them. "We welcome groups that already have offices in Marseille and are cramped for space, others that have just won a contract and need new square metres quickly, and still others that are regrouping their local branches around a regional hub.l", says Guillaume Pellegrin, CEO of Newton Offices, new brand launched in Marseille by Tivoli Capital and KKR, one of the world's leading investment firms. For its part, Stéphane Bensimon, Chairman of Wojoa joint venture between Accor and Bouygues founded in 2017 and formerly known as the Nextdoor namenotes that "international companies, when they set up in a new country, now have the reflex to go to this type of space to simplify their implementation".
Outsourced real estate
The entry into force in January of the new IFRS 16 financial reporting standard should further enhance the Group's financial performance. strengthen interest of large companies to this flexible solution. It stipulates that property leases must now be shown on the balance sheet, with the exception of leases with a term of 12 months or less. "This will be a major incentive for companies to outsource part of their property requirements"says Lawrence Knights, co-founder of Kwerk, a brand with five locations in Paris and its inner suburbs. The growth of the sector, which is already almost exponential with an average annual increase of 75 % according to Knight Frank, could therefore accelerate even further. "Of the 3,400 IWG sites worldwide, 1,500 have been opened in the last four years.says Christophe Burckart. It's the same in France. Between 1992, the year we arrived, and 2014, we were opening one or two sites a year. Since then, it's been a new location every three weeksWith increasingly large spaces. We offer 120 sites in France, but we estimate the potential at 600."
While IWG is undoubtedly the world leader in shared workplaces, all the players are following the same cruising speed. In fact, the outlook for growth does not encourage them to limit their ambitions. According to estimates, shared workspaces currently account for 2 % of office real estate, but will probably account for 15 % by 2030. So it's hardly surprising to see the giants of property development and investment KKR and Bouygues Immobilier, but also Covivio with Wellio, Icade with Smartdesk, La Poste Immo with Startway and Nexity, which in January 2019 acquired a majority shareholding in Morning Coworking.
The growth of the sector, which is already almost exponential with an average annual increase of 75 % according to Knight Frank, could accelerate even further.
However, over and above the flexibility and all the economic advantages offered to companies, what guarantees the durability of the phenomenon is its response to above all a societal fact. "The younger generation wants to live in dynamic cities and therefore prefers to live in flats of limited size, have smaller offices, but share living and meeting places, whether it be a bar, a kitchen or a cinema.says Martijn Roordink, founder of Spaces. This is part of a global movement that revolves around connectivity and harmony between professional and personal life."
At the same time, management methods have evolved, driven by the digitalisation of tools and the business nomadism that this allows.For some years now, companies and their employees have been looking to a deeper meaning to their work"says Stéphane Bensimon of Wojo. In this context, the working environment plays a part in the development of employees. "Today, companies have to offer places where people want to besays Christophe Burckart of IWG. This is very important for their employer brand, to attract young talent who are not prepared to compromise on their quality of life. The company's reputation and remuneration are no longer enough."Stéphane Bensimon made the same observation: "the generations are changing. If you want to recruit a young graduate, it's a different story if you're meeting them in a coworking space or in a building from another era."
From a very professional approach, with our heads down and no question of lifting them, the way we work is evolving, giving ourselves a little breathing space for a relaxing break.
From a very professional approach, with its head in the handlebars and no question of lifting it, the way we work is evolving, giving itself a bit of air. time for a relaxing breakThe flexible working spaces have incorporated this change into their design, with areas adapted to different times of the day. Flexible workspaces are incorporating these changes into their design, with areas adapted to different times of the day: some quiet areas for isolation and reflection, others more lively for discussion between colleagues or for broadening their field of vision by meeting professionals from other backgrounds.
Often inspiring, this setting alone does not make the difference. Service should play an essential part in the success of tomorrow's offices. A welcoming smile and a cup of coffee in the morningNewton Offices in Marseille - formerly ILOVIT - offers a wide range of services, including a concierge service, beauty treatments and massages once a week, post-jog showers and organic baskets to pick up on your way out: it's all about the little details that make the working day enjoyable. "We're aiming to spread a solar energy that's typically Mediterranean."says Guillaume Pellegrin.
A sense of hospitality
The involvement of several players with a sense of hospitality in their DNA is therefore not surprising. Wojo is half-owned by Accor, Mama Works is none other than the business arm of the Mama Shelter hotels. "The strength of our positioning compared with WeWork or Regus lies in our values, which are rooted more in service than in real estate.says Jérémy Trigano, CEO of Mama Shelter. As we did with Mama Shelter, we're succeeding in making affordable beauty with a fun twist for Mama Works. We have our own universe. When a customer arrives at a Mama Shelter, even if each hotel is unique, you know you're in a "Mama". When you close your eyes and enter a Mama Works, you know where you are. That's the strength of our brands."In the same vein, Stéphane Bensimon promotes work-spitality at Wojo: "We are trying to transpose the notion of customer enjoyment and experience found in the hotel industry to the service sector. It makes no sense today for workplaces not to be as demanding as hotels in terms of the service offered to employees or company directors."
Inspiring design
Well-being in the office = pleasure in coming to work + higher performance from happy employees, Kwerk has come up with an answer with its idea of "well working". A philosophy that combines mind and body care - workstations specially designed to work the way you want, standing or sitting, yoga and meditation sessions, fitness and ayurvedic herbal teas - with a carefully thought-out design by architect and co-founder of the brand Albert Angel. A play on the five elements, a blend of noble materials such as leather, velvet, marble and untreated wood: if most of the players hear stand out from old-world corporate offices through contemporary design, the places proposed by Kwerk take this approach even further. "The best compliment you can get is 'I feel good here'. This emotion, which seems natural, is in fact highly constructed."says Lawrence Knights, the other co-founder. "Our aim is to create places that take care of people in a world where extremely depersonalised work environment, and this puts them in a frame of mind that is conducive to worksays Albert Angel. If you touch the senses, if you give emotions through design, the person is more open, and therefore more receptive to thinking differently."
As a result, our teams are at the heart of a whole ecosystem that is conducive to the development of projects involving artificial intelligence and machine learning.
This opens the door to new ideas. At a time when the digital revolution is profoundly transforming the global economy, major companies, anxious about being disruptedMany companies are turning to coworking spaces to stimulate their sense of innovation. Last March, for example, Carrefour set up its digital hub, launched in partnership with Google, at WeWork Avenue de France. Located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the American coworking specialist's space is just a stone's throw from the vast Station F start-up campus. As a result, the teams are at the heart of an ecosystem conducive to the development of projects around artificial intelligence and machine learning. "This is a real additional advantage for Carrefour in achieving its digital ambitions between now and 2022."said Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Group's Executive Director for e-commerce, data and digital transformation.
If you don't go for innovation, innovation will go to you. The La Défense district is another example of the symbiosis that is taking place between large companies and ambitious start-ups. "When the first coworking spaces opened in La Défense, there was a fair amount of scepticism. Many people saw the area as being reserved for the CAC 40.says Marie-Célie Guillaume, Managing Director of the Paris La Défense public body. But here, as in every major city in the world, we're seeing a huge increase in coworking. It allows the district to welcome start-ups with new ideas. At the same time, large companies have places where their employees can meet other professionals. All this is representative of a very profound change."
"These two worlds are beginning to converge. We can see this very clearly in our centressays Christophe Burckart, while Spaces opened in January just a stone's throw from the Grande Arche. one of the largest coworking facilities in the world, with 18,000 m² of floor space. On the one hand, you have more and more people in their fifties bringing their maturity to start-ups. On the other hand, the major groups have realised that they can find the people they need. innovative solutions by working with them."At the same time, while the major players are all present at La Défense, with the exception of WeWork, the emergence of these workplaces means that a host of service providers to large companies - in consulting or training, for example - can find a market for small offices so that they can be as close as possible to their clients.
Bringing together hundreds of professionals in one place is not enough to create business opportunities. All this has to be generated and organised.
But bringing hundreds of professionals together in the same place is not enough to create a network of contacts and business opportunities. All this has to be generated and organised. "Our role with regard to companies is to support them in their needs, identify their problems and find solutions among our members.stresses Stéphane Bensimon. Our teams will be trained to become business partners."The famous community spirit, at the origin of the coworking concept, differentiates these spaces from a normal office building. To this end, Kwerk has an ecosystem manager responsible for putting all the customers in touch with each other, as well as an events organiser, the Experience Manager. Baroque music concertWithout overloading their often busy agendas, Kwerk members find plenty of opportunities to get to know each other better. Looking forward to one day travelling? "Be careful, it has to make sense in terms of what we dosays Lawrence Knights. We're not a camp or a nightclub. We are first and foremost a brand of work."
