SPACES TO GROW

As corporate needs and working conditions radically changed over the past several years, businesses have found that having a flexible working space fits the requirements of the ever-changing working environment.

According to Mordor Intelligence, Asia-Pacific co-working office spaces market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 5.5 per cent during the forecast period (2022-2027). Hong Kong is at the forefront of this. Last year, it was the major location for the development of co-working spaces, with more than 166 spaces in the city.

Although demand is up, finding the perfect workspace in the city can still be challenging. In order to help take the stress and expense out of finding a new flexible office space, entrepreneur and co-working veteran Gaurav Joshi has recently launched FlexFinder (www.flexfinder.com). Joshi is also the co-founder of Workbuddy in Singapore, which has the largest network of co-working spaces in the city.

FlexFinder is a digital platform for coworking spaces and flexible office listings in Hong Kong that enables businesses – from startups to multinationals – to find the right office space that meet their needs. Despite going live for merely month now, FlexFinder already covers most of Hong Kong’s coworking locations.

“Our service is completely free. Once someone tells us what they’re looking for and chooses a location of their preference, we help them negotiate with the relevant office service providers to ensure they get rental terms that are in their favour, i.e., the best deal, hands-off, and hassle-free,” he explains.

FlexFinder helps start-ups secure the greatest value from their office, while ensuring they are in a location that will help them grow. Meanwhile, large enterprises can also benefit from FlexFinder’s expertise in sourcing locations that fit very specific needs such as office layouts and branding.

The company receives the latest and best information on spaces that are available or upcoming, which enables them to provide valuable market advice to help businesses of every size with their overall workspace strategy.

Many businesses have adapted to a hybrid working environment due to the pandemic changing the way businesses and employees interact. Businesses want to be able to adjust the number of people they have in the office easily, and flexible working spaces fit into this perfectly.

FlexFinder relieves the pressure and frustration behind managing the needs of the modern workplace. With an extensive database and a highly talented team of local market experts, they offer access to not only the most popular spaces, but also the hidden gems that often fly under the radar.

The flexible office sector in Hong Kong is only expected to grow. Jonathan Wright, MRICS Senior Director, Hong Kong Office Strategy & Solutions at Knight Frank China said, “We continue to see occupiers embrace flexible workspace as part of their CRE strategy. Demand has surged across the board, from smaller offices through to large scale enterprise solutions and, at Knight Frank, we are bullish that this demand will only grow.”