IWG, operator of Regus and Spaces and the world’s largest flexible workspace provider, has signed multiple new franchise agreements globally and is seeking to expand its footprint across Ireland to meet the growing demand for hybrid working.

IWG’s expansion in Ireland is timely and in line with the Making Remote Work, Ireland’s National Remote Work Strategy prepared by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The Strategy’s objective is to ensure that remote working is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits.

Research carried out in October 2020 found that 94 percent of participants would like to work remotely after the crisis^(1). And this figure is almost 10 percent higher than it was in the first phase of the research published in May of the same year. ⁽²⁾

IWG has been operating in Ireland under the Regis and Spaces brands for more than 22 years with centres located in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, and the organisation recently opened SPACES Cork, new state of the art offices at 1 Horgans Quay, Cork. The company is now keen to work with local franchise partners in Irish towns and cities in Louth, Meath Galway, Sligo, Athlone, Kerry, Wicklow, Waterford, Wexford and Westport and open additional workspaces under the Regus and SPACES brands.

Since the pandemic, firms of all sizes are embracing a hybrid model which retains the office or HQ but allows employees to spend a portion of the week working remotely. More than ever, companies and employees are looking for flexible work solutions, especially closer to home – ideally within a 15-minute commute. Trends reveal an accelerated and structural shift towards flexible workspace as an alternative to conventional leasing. Post Covid-19, these trends will only accelerate further – exemplified by the record enquiry numbers experienced by IWG.

IWG has added more than a million users to its network so far this year. Japanese telecommunications group NTT, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, is the latest big business to follow the trend, signing a ground-breaking deal with IWG. The deal provides NTT’s 300,000 employees across its portfolio of companies and global network with access to IWG’s more than 3,300 workspaces globally. It follows a major agreement with financial services organisation, Standard Chartered, for 95,000 employees and reinforces IWG’s leadership position in the hybrid workspace industry.

IWG provide much needed flexible workspace options ranging from an hour’s co-working to multi-year office space agreements, and the organisation provides solutions to match every kind of business, work style and price point. As a franchisee with IWG, partners can quickly access & deploy a scalable business working with our portfolio of workspace brands, including: Regus, Spaces, HQ and Signature.

Julian Chambers, IWG's Head of Franchise for UK & Ireland commented: “IWG is looking for ambitious franchise partners who want to be part of our journey to expand our brand offering across Ireland. Since Regus created the co-working and flexible workspace industry more than 30 years ago, we have continuously fine-tuned the business model to retain our status as the global market leader. As a franchise partner, your business’s economics can benefit by leveraging our scale, customer base, proven business model, and platform.”

FRANCHISEE REQUIREMENTS

• People who can operate and grow within a branded framework.
• Move quickly and decisively to secure deals with building owners and customers.
• Seize the opportunities offered by the ever-increasing serviced office sector.
• Thrive in a fast-paced sales and customer service business.
• Manage the financial and organisational elements of both single-site and potentially multi-site operations.
• Purchase the exclusive rights to develop a territory.

REASONS TO WORK WITH IWG

1. Proven business model: Franchisees will work with IWG’s strong brands, 30+ years of experience, and millions of customers using our services daily. You’ll be able to leverage our highly effective marketing strategy and global sales platform, which generates 100,000+ enquiries every month.

2. Global Market Leader: IWG is the number one workspace and co-working global provider. Our network is more than six times the nearest competitor’s size, and we add an average of one new centre every day.

3. Training: With IWG, you run your own business, but you’re not on your own. We’ve developed structured training programmes to ensure you and your team maximise the power of our brands. Our specialists provide support as and when needed, covering everything from finding the right location to running a successful business.

4. Shoulder to shoulder support: IWG work with our franchise partners flexibly and dynamically, providing support from building identification right through to operations and sales.

5. World-class operational support: IWG offer an online training school and a global CRM system. Our innovative proprietary systems enable franchise partners to enhance efficiency and drive cost savings and revenue.

TESTIMONIAL

“We are incredibly excited to be joining Regus as their first UK franchise partner. Regus is a market leader with a great franchise model that we are confident will result in a very fruitful partnership.”

Jeet Sohal (Our first UK Franchise Partner)

“I’ve enjoyed turning a standard office into an amazing co-working space as an IWG franchise partner. That’s one of the things I like about Regus – they are top-end, quality co-working spaces. Also, you get to meet some great businesses and amazing people along the way.”

Tom Abuaita (Why I chose IWG)