Global real estate advisory firm Savills has launched the Polish version of Workthere, its flexible office specialist and website listing platform that helps occupiers find flexible workspace and offers professional assistance in leasing optimal workspaces.
Workthere was launched in the UK in 2017 in response to the rapid growth of the co-working and serviced office market, and now operates from a global platform with a presence in England, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the US, Singapore, India and Vietnam.
Workthere Poland will be led by Jaroslaw Pilch, who is also head of tenant representation, office agency at Savills Poland. Pilch will be joined by Aleksandra Barlik, flex office consultant for Workthere Poland.
'Workthere is another natural step for Savills towards new technologies. On its launch date, it covers approximately 80% of the market and most of the largest flexible office providers in Poland. Workthere is not a listing website where you could buy a featured listing spot, but a professional and user-friendly property database, backed up by our advice. I have been following the flexible office space market in Poland for over 20 years, playing an active role in its growth, and I am delighted to be able to launch a tool that has been lacking in our market so far,' said Jaroslaw Pilch, head of Tenant Representation, Office Agency, Savills Poland, and head of Workthere Poland.
According to Savills data, Poland already has approximately 287,000 m2 of flexible offices (total stock). This sector grew at its fastest pace between 2016 and 2019, when flex office supply rose by over 55%.
'The pandemic has accelerated the drive towards flexibility in the office market with smaller companies, start-ups and freelancers increasingly appreciating the convenience of leasing flexible spaces. With a growing trend towards flexibility, many large companies who are likely to see their headcounts grow, would rather not lease larger spaces in excess of their current needs. For expansion, they want to be able to use flexible offices to not only provide an alternative solution in their real estate portfolio, but also provide a different option for staff in terms of where they are able to work,' said Cal Lee, global head of Workthere.
Flexible offices, in addition to individual private desks, also offer an option to lease larger spaces for longer. According to Workthere, the largest corporations are increasingly choosing this option. The largest transaction brokered by Workthere so far was for close to 1,000 desks.
