This concept, which originated in the United States, is still little known in France, not to say little accepted. But it has real potential for development. Particularly in these uncertain times, when more and more companies are appreciating the flexibility of this rental system.<\/p>\n
This principle of spaces rented by the hour, week, month or year, offering a range of turnkey services - switchboard, reception, administration, secretarial services, access to meeting rooms, etc. - enables entrepreneurs to escape the rigidity of traditional commercial leases. - allows entrepreneurs to avoid the rigidity of a traditional commercial lease. That's why around 50 % of business centre customers are companies undergoing restructuring, and around 15 % are start-ups looking for office space to launch their businesses. Twenty per cent are foreign companies, with the remainder generally made up of major accounts looking to relocate some of their services or open a subsidiary in France.<\/p>\n
In terms of cost, the Synaphe 2007 study shows that by opting for an office located in a business centre rather than renting directly, the investment for the customer will be on average 3.5 times lower, with operating costs up to 2.1 times lower. This explains why today's business centres are no longer the exclusive preserve of companies in the IT or new technology sectors, attracting a wide range of customers, including law firms, consultancies and public bodies.<\/p>\n
Already present in all the major French cities, they are now setting up in medium-sized towns such as Nantes, Orl\u00e9ans, Tours, Rennes, etc. \"Whatever the location, the demand is much the same: High-performance technological equipment, flexibility - hence the importance of movable partitions - but also quality of services, safety, comfort and user-friendliness\", stresses \u00c9douard Lagourgue, Managing Director of the NCI Group, one of France's leading independents, with sales of \u20ac14 million and almost 1,000 customers, mainly SMEs and SMIs, both in France and abroad. NCI has around twenty sites across France, including eleven in Paris and others in urban free zones such as Roubaix, Tourcoing and Mantes-la-Jolie. While each centre has its own personality, they all meet the same criteria: quality of services and staff, proximity to transport, prestigious addresses, the 'French touch', maintenance by anticipation of the network, responsiveness in the event of a problem, etc. The NCI group also has a communications-marketing division.<\/p>\n
Interburo, based in Villeurbanne in the Lyon region, also plays on proximity, with fourteen offices located in the city centre, just a two-minute walk from the town hall. Most of its customers are self-employed professionals and tradespeople.<\/p>\n
Still based in the French provinces, mainly in towns with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants, Modelo System has seven business centres, including two franchises. \"Our positioning? To provide quality service at discount prices\", explains Jean-Bernard Lamoise, Director. Another of Modelo System's distinctive features is that it offers a second activity, that of a communications and consultancy agency from which its customers can benefit.<\/p>\n
Other independents have decided to join forces under the Buro Club banner to face up to the competition from the major groups. \"With thirteen partners representing 28 business centres across France, we are the leading network of independents. We have a turnover of almost 13 million euros, 28,000 m2 of office space, more than 1,000 offices and around 100 meeting rooms,\" says Xavier Berrezai, Chairman of the group. The majority of Buro Club sites are located close to communication hubs: railway stations, underground stations, main roads, etc. Because geographical location often makes the difference when choosing a centre. Then there are the prices and the range of services on offer. Unlike some of its competitors, who have chosen to cut their prices in response to the current economic crisis, Buro Club has chosen to maintain its prices. On the other hand, it is offering its customers much greater flexibility through its Freedom Offer: an immediate office, with no time constraints and the possibility of vacating the lease with one month's notice.<\/p>\n
The same strategy is being pursued by Regus, the world leader in the provision of workspace, with 2007 sales of \u00a3862.4 million (\u20ac961.3 million), representing growth of 26.8 1Q3, over 400,000 customers, 950 sites in 400 cities and 70 countries, including 37 in France. \"In September 2008, we launched the Businessworld subscription programme,\" explains Olivier de Lavalette, Managing Director of Regus Southern Europe. This service, which Regus is currently the only one to offer, is particularly aimed at business travellers looking for a professional office or business lounge at a strategic address to complement their usual office. With four cards (Blues, Gold, Platinum and Platinumplus), users can access Regus services according to their needs and budget, in all centres in France and abroad. As a result, members have unlimited access to fully-equipped offices, meeting and training rooms and videoconferencing studios when they are on the move, either on a one-off basis or on a long-term basis. Since its launch, this programme has been a great success. It's been a big hit with SMEs and multinationals alike.<\/p>\n
The Servcorp group also has an international presence, in some fifteen countries, and is banking on high standards. Its three Paris business centres boast prestigious addresses: Square Edouard VII, Avenue des Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es and Boulevard Haussmann. \"Our strategy, whatever the country, is to choose beautiful buildings in well-known districts in order to reach an upmarket clientele\", says Doriane Couet, marketing coordinator. The Group currently has 75 business centres around the world, and plans to open nine more in 2009, in the Middle East, China and Australia.<\/p>\n
In the same spirit as business clubs, Servcorp offers its customers a whole range of personalised services: executive and room assistants, receptionists, dry cleaning, hotel room reservations, restaurant reservations, taxi bookings, plane or train tickets... rather like a hotel concierge service. Another original feature is the virtual offices, which provide an address and telephone number to which a dedicated receptionist will respond immediately according to the customer's instructions.<\/p>\n
The British Executive Offices Group, owner of the Argyll brand in France, is also active in the upmarket office rental market. Comfort, elegance, discretion and professionalism are its watchwords. The high-standard offices are generally located in listed buildings and are unbranded, both inside and outside the centres, to ensure confidentiality. Staff have been trained in five-star hotels, and everything is done to make customers feel at home.<\/p>\n
In all the establishments, customers have access to a club lounge with comfortable sofas and table service. There are also fully equipped kitchens on every floor, and shower rooms with toiletries and towels.<\/p>\n
For its part, Ready Office, an independent company offering a 2,500 m2 site in Paris, has designed a packaged offer, at no extra cost, in an original setting: a former coaching inn dating from 1900, in a trendy district, rue du faubourg Saint-Antoine, between Bastille and Nation. \"Some have retained their original architecture, others are completely modern, but all open onto a private paved courtyard and garden. The result is a provincial atmosphere in the heart of a lively, shopping district that is atypical and just a few minutes from the main railway stations\", explains Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Morel, manager.<\/p>\n
The business centre market is therefore highly diversified. Professionals offer services that are virtually equivalent to those of the hotel industry, and are expanding their presence throughout France. In order to clarify this activity, which is enjoying growing success in France, an Afnor standard on \"services provided by business accommodation professionals\", NF X 50-772, has just been created. A guarantee of value for money.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 2007,260 business centres were listed in France, compared with 744 in the UK; 121 of these belonged to groups with more than ten sites and 120 were independent\", says Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Dathy, Chairman of Synaphe, the national trade association for business accommodation professionals. According to Synaphe, London business centres accounted for 2.1 % of the city's office stock, compared with just 0.7 % in Paris.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[1119],"type-darticle":[],"n_magazine":[],"class_list":["post-12179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meetings-management","tag-centre-daffaires","vapo-free"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n