<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Flexible working is growing rapidly, with IWG’s continued expansion across its operating brands, seeing another 156 new locations opening in 34 countries around the globe</h4>



The company has established 156 locations across 34
countries across its operating brands,&nbsp;since the&nbsp;turn of the year,
continuing its mission to service a flex working revolution. Add to this the
expansion of their franchising model into the African continent and they are on
track to reach their target of increasing their presence in the
1,000 cities and towns where they already operate.



Flexible working, sometimes known as co-working, refers to office space,
meeting rooms and co-working areas that can be rented by individual workers or
corporates from one hour to several years. 



A report by consultancy
firm&nbsp;The&nbsp;Instant&nbsp;Group&nbsp;found&nbsp;demand for flexible
workspace globally increased by 19% last year,&nbsp;stating that the growth in
the supply of flexible&nbsp;space was ‘the number one story’ in commercial
property markets around the world.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40993" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



John Williams, head of marketing at The Instant
Group,&nbsp;put the growth down to two factors, a change in how large companies
were operating&nbsp;–&nbsp;specifically in relation to flexible working
practices&nbsp;–&nbsp;and changes to the nature of the workforce itself.



A reluctance by major companies to sign long-term
lease agreements in order to stay financially flexible was also a driver
according to Williams.&nbsp;



“Market demand is growing by as much as 30% each year
in some global markets and it&nbsp;is our understanding that the majority of
companies are still not aware of their options in flex space, they are still
learning about the types of space they can access and the costs involved,”
Williams says.



Two major brands that have used Regus to grow in
Africa are Google and P&amp;G. Google has 50 employees with Regus in Kenya, and
P&amp;G has 100 employees in the country. 



Though they have the finances and resources to
build their own offices, startup costs can be expensive, and getting an office
up to spec with high-speed broadband, useable meeting rooms and desk space can
take up valuable time. 



Plus, using flexible office space reduces the
commitment for these big organisations, many of whom are still testing the
water in new African cities.



A report on the <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/32124/9781464814457.pdf?sequence=2&amp;isAllowed=y">Future of Work in Africa</a> released by the World Bank, shows that access
to digital technologies could set Africa on a different path to the rest of the
world. 



While there is globally a
focus on new and old sectors, in Africa digital transformation will
predominantly enable advances in productivity and efficiency in current
sectors. 



IWG is currently seeking
driven landlords, private equity firms, multi-brand franchise operators and
high net-worth individuals to partner with to buy into the lucrative flexible
working market at attractive returns. 



With the first franchise
centre already open in Angola and new centres opening in Guinea and Djibouti in
September, the company is determinedly targeting the African continent for
development and investment opportunities for early adopters of the franchising
model.



Eligible franchisees will commit to opening a
prescribed number of centres within a period of 5 years, have a proven
track-record in business, property or investment and will work closely with
Regus to find and design ideal locations and uphold IWG’s strict operating
standards. 



In return, franchisees buy into an established
global brand that provides multiple revenue streams including monthly
memberships and referral fees; leverage their highly effective marketing strategy and global sales
platform, which generates 100,000+ enquiries every month; have access to IWG’s entire network of
world-class operational support; and diversify their investment portfolio to
include an industry that will have created 30 million jobs across 16 of the
world’s countries by 2030.



To find out more: <a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/">h</a><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/en-gb/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Global_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Advertorial">ttps://franchise.iwgplc.com/</a>

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IWG GROWTH IN AFRICA – FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES

In the midst of what many are calling the flexible workspace revolution, franchisees are looking towards the serviced office market for lucrative new opportunities. Projections show that three in ten buildings on every high street could offer a new franchise opportunity, with flexible working, or coworking as it’s often called, emerging as a booming industry.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40993" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



A booming industry With businesses and individuals increasingly using flexible working spaces, the co-working industry is estimated to be growing by 24% each year. A recent study of 18,000 business leaders in 96 countries by IWG, the parent company of leading workspace providers including Regus and Spaces, revealed that the majority of business leaders (89%) believe flexible working is helping their businesses to grow and stay competitive. In addition, 80% felt that adopting co-working, and enabling their employees to work anywhere, has helped them recruit and retain top talent.



 Likewise, with a huge 50% of workers predicted to be working remotely for most of their working week, by 2022, forecasts suggest that the global mobile workforce will reach 1.87 billion people. This presents a unique opportunity for those in the franchise industry to jump on what is a rapidly growing trend.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> Partnering with IWG gives business owners the ability to participate in this growth story and take advantage of the huge demand for flexible, contemporary workspaces – one of the most exciting growth markets in the country.<cite> Mo Nanabhay, Franchising Director &#8211; Africa </cite></blockquote>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40983" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-background has-vivid-red-background-color" href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1">Find out how you can take advantage of the work-space revolution</a></div>



 As more people look to work flexibly, the demand for places for them to do so is growing; and as the corporate real estate market continues to grow, global real estate giant JLL estimates that up to 30% of corporate real estate could be flexible workspace by 2030. 



 The growing franchise opportunity This makes the serviced office market one of the most exciting growth markets in the world. Simply put, it is the next franchise frontier. And the industry founder, IWG, with its thirty years of experience in the, serviced office market and brands to match every requirement and style like Regus and Spaces, is now offering people a chance to get involved. In September 2018, the company announced they would be leading the UK’s first serviced office franchise partnership with franchising experts, ACCA Office Ltd. Since then, four more businesses have partnered with IWG, including Kash Office Limited, AMA Workspaces, SME Properties Limited, and Q-Boid Limited. These franchise partnerships will see sites opened across the country over the next couple of years. In Asia, the company has agreed to sell its Japanese business to Tokyo-based TKP Corporation for the whole of Japan. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40982" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-600x401.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025.jpg 1766w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



 IWG is present in almost 3,300 locations, 120 countries and 1,100 town and cities across the world – and it’s this experience that makes IWG the ideal franchise partner for those wanting to take advantage of the booming demand for serviced offices worldwide.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> “Our years of experience in the industry and our well-established global network has taught us that building a quality flexible workspace offering requires trust and support. We work closely with our franchisees to ensure that they have a framework to find the right location and design, backed by the strength of our operational and marketing support and the best customer service that IWG is known for.”<cite> Mo Nanabhay, Franchising Director &#8211; Africa</cite></blockquote>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="481" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-1024x481.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40981" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-1024x481.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-300x141.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-600x282.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-768x360.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



 To find out how you can take advantage of the workspace revolution, contact IWG’s franchise team via <a href="mailto:franchise.africa@iwgplc.com">franchise.africa@iwgplc.com</a> or visit <a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1">franchise.iwgplc.com</a>.

Author: IWG

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

IWG GROWTH IN AFRICA – FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES

Franchise’s newest target: the flexible workspace revolution