Each of the ‘big four’ motorway service area operators and office supplies retailer Staples have now signed deals with Regus. Their motivation is to capitalise on the mobile working market, which represents a new way to meet customer needs and create additional revenue streams from their space.
Two in five of the nation’s professionals now work remotely for at least half the week and the nomadic workforce – less than 10% of whom want to work from home – has created huge demand for local ‘third place’ business centres that provide drop-in workspace and professional services on tap.
Moto Hospitality, Welcome Break, Extra Motorway Service Area Group and Staples have all launched Regus Express locations within the last year and have seen usage rise steadily among local home-based workers as well as business travellers touching down between meetings.
Other ‘Third Place’ deals signed by Regus on an international level include SNCF in France; the Dutch railway network and Shell, currently rolling out 70 business centres in its service stations across Berlin.
Phil Kemp, Global Managing Director of Regus Third Place says: “Business and society as a whole is fundamentally changing the way it thinks about ‘work’ and ‘the office’.
“Geographical location is becoming less relevant, yet our need for office services is undiminished. Most of us still rely on the equipment, dedicated space and personal interaction provided by a traditional office environment, at least some of the time. But we want those services on tap, wherever we are.
“Transport operators and retailers across the world are approaching Regus to explore the exciting opportunities presented by mobile working. With our partners, we are bringing the office to the worker – whether that’s in motorway service areas, petrol stations, train stations or retail parks.”
CASE STUDY
Dr Peter Walker is the Director of Compass Psychological Services Ltd, based in Bristol. But like many firms these days, Peter and his associates need to work in a variety of locations.
“My company’s going through a period of expansion at the moment and we’re taking on a lot of new clients across the South West,” he says.
“It’s very common for me to find myself having a meeting with a client in Swindon mid-morning and then another one in Gloucester in the afternoon, with a couple of hours to spare in the meantime.”
He envisages that the new Regus Express centres in the South West will be useful to bridge this gap.
“The new Regus Express centres are ideal places to drop in and fit in some work when we have time between appointments,” he says.
“They certainly make more professional alternatives to roadside cafes, which don’t offer printers or secure wifi. I also find I can be much more productive in a quieter space.”
– See more at: http://www.regus.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/Nomadic-workers-drive-demand-for-drop-in-offices-4879.aspx#sthash.YHxC7Z83.dpuf
