A turnkey office that avoids the rigidity of a 3-6-9 lease: the business centre formula is attracting more and more entrepreneurs, especially start-ups. \"50 % of business centre customers are very small businesses, 30 % are SMEs and major accounts, and 20 % are foreign companies\", says Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Dathy, Chairman of Synaphe, the national trade association for business accommodation professionals.<\/p>\n
Offices can be rented by the hour, by the week, by the month or for several years at a time, and offer a range of \u00e0 la carte services, from reception to meeting room hire, secretarial services and access to a range of technical equipment such as video communications. They enable companies to be highly responsive, particularly in times of crisis. \"Our members, representing 75 % in the industry, had an average occupancy rate of 75 to 80 % in 2009\", says Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Dathy. Economic conditions are forcing companies to restrict their budgets due to a lack of visibility. And to reduce the surface area of their offices while opting for flexible solutions. The flexibility of business centres, in terms of time and surface area, as well as the variability of locations and services, meet these new requirements. \"Many large companies, such as Manpower and MMA Assurances, have freed up large areas to rent us smaller offices to use as annexes,\" explains Jean-Bernard Lamoise, Director of Modelo System.<\/p>\n
At the same time, young companies with high rental costs (security deposit, leasehold rights, key money, etc.) find a business centre to be a temporary solution to their needs. \"All you have to do is plug in your computer! The offices are furnished and equipped with a high-speed Internet connection and a telephone line,\" explains Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Dathy. As an option, customers can choose from a range of services: secretarial assistance, translation, meeting room hire, etc. For example, the rental of a 12-15 m2 office in a Paris business centre costs between \u20ac900 and \u20ac1,500 per month. Another way of cutting costs is to share an office. This costs between 30 % and 40 % less than a personal office.<\/p>\n
Domiciliation, offered by all business centres, can also be an advantage for those who wish to separate their home from their office. This activity is defined by an Afnor standard (NSX50-772) and, since April 2010, has been subject to approval (decree 2009-C95 of 30-12-2009). Following on from their success in major conurbations such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse, business centres are now expanding into medium-sized towns and cities. In the Lyon region, in Villeurbanne, Interburo has fourteen offices located in the city centre. \"Our customers are very small businesses and tradespeople. Some have been with us for several years. We know them all and it's this friendly atmosphere that they appreciate,\" stresses co-manager Yvette Pompanon. In particular, she helps them prepare their balance sheets by offering them the option of administrative data entry. Offering additional services is also a way of standing out from the competition, especially in the regions.<\/p>\n
Modulo System, which offers seven business centres in towns with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants (an eighth unit is due to open in Rennes in September), also has a communications and consultancy agency. In addition, Jean-Bernard Lamoise and a chartered accountant have set up an association of business angels to help entrepreneurs by putting them in touch with private investors likely to be interested in their project.<\/p>\n
For its part, the Buro Club network of self-employed professionals (1,100 offices in France, around 100 meeting rooms and over 2,000 customers) has introduced the Offre Libert\u00e9 contract. \"It's an office that's immediately available, with no time constraints and the possibility of getting out of the lease with one month's notice\", explains Xavier Berrezai, Chairman of the group. Buro Club is also currently testing a concierge service in one of its Toulouse business centres. In addition to renting fully-equipped premises and standardised options, the business centres are all developing a wide range of associated services. The Sevcorp group plays on luxury, taking great care with the equipment, decoration and comfort of its offices. \"We attach particular importance to technology: nearly \u20ac40 million has been invested internationally to ensure that all our centres - nearly a hundred of them - have the very latest equipment,\" says Adeline Charles, Managing Director.<\/p>\n
The Sevcorp on line platform enables business people to manage their offices and meeting rooms remotely. Sevcorp is also the initiator of the virtual office: a concept which, for 370 euros a month, gives access for four days to an office anywhere in the world and the use of two telephone numbers.<\/p>\n
Regus, the world leader in the provision of workspace, is betting on flexibility. Its Businessworld programme, launched in 2008, has over 320,000 members. Membership allows customers to choose from four packages providing flexible, low-cost workplaces, offices and meeting rooms on demand in more than 1,000 business centres around the world, including around fifty in France. According to Olivier de Lavalette, Regus Managing Director for Southern Europe, \"This is the ultimate flexible solution for professionals on the move, enabling them to maximise their productivity wherever they are. Costs are reduced by 60 to 70 % compared to a traditional office\".<\/p>\n
The success of this formula is set to grow, since, according to an IDC study, the number of mobile workers - professionals who have an office but are often on the move, employees without a fixed office and home workers - could reach 1.2 billion by 2013. Regus, which has acquired the BFI (Business Facility International) business centres, is also betting on new technologies. Its customers have access to more than 2,500 videoconferencing studios around the world. In April, when air traffic was halted due to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, the number of requests for this service rose by 180 % worldwide. This practice reduces travel costs by 75 % while limiting carbon emissions. \"At the top end of the market, we have teleconferencing studios in around fifteen of our centres around the world,\" says Olivier de Lavalette. Regus also equips its sites with business lounges, modelled on airline VIP lounges.<\/p>\n
According to \u00c9douard Lagourgue, Managing Director of the NCI Group, \"in the future, business centres will not be limited to offering prestigious addresses. They will also have to be equipped with high-performance technological facilities. Companies, particularly SMEs and SMIs, are increasingly looking to outsource functions that are not their core business, and are therefore opting for an office in a business centre. This trend suggests that turnover in our profession is set to double over the next ten years.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"