With a spectrum of different brands offering businesses a distinct look, feel and set-up, IWG has the options to suit any franchise partner’s community
Potential franchise partners looking to team up with IWG will quickly notice the global flexspace provider’s varied and distinct set of portfolio brands – from the widespread, traditional-feel Regus to the contemporary, lifestyle-influenced environments of Spaces. It’s the key benefit of partnering with the global flexspace provider; not only are you teaming up with a worldwide expert with 30 years’ experience, you also have the flexibility to provide a spectrum of different flexible workspaces and coworking environments, using the IWG platform to mix and match depending on what will suit the community your centre is opening in.
For partners, getting to know these brands means being able to offer a range of options to meet the needs of customers of all shapes and sizes. Faysal Altharwa, Managing Director of an IWG franchise in Saudi Arabia, found them to be an asset when bringing his centre to the Saudi market. “Each of IWG’s brands targets a different segment in the market, from a client who wants a luxurious office to one that needs a practical, serviced office on a tighter budget,” he says. “Whether it’s in terms of location, design, feel, or price point, having a multi-brand offering gives our customers choice. If brand A doesn’t suit them, brand B, C or D most certainly will. In short, it makes it easier to satisfy customer needs.” So what are the biggest selling points of each main IWG brand?
Regus is the world’s biggest flexspace provider, covering over 1,000 towns and cities in 120 markets worldwide. Its footprint ranges from central business districts to major transport intersections and more suburban locations. As a brand, it has broad appeal for well-established entities of all sizes, which appreciate the consistency and professional standard – as well as the access given by its huge global network. Office design is crisp and contemporary, and all Regus locations offer multiple options, including office working, coworking and drop-in lounges on a full-time, part-time and pay-as-you-go basis. All have access, too, to a reception, business-grade WiFi, and a dedicated telephone number. With its ubiquitous network, this brand also has a strong pull for business travellers.
With all of the heritage and expertise of the Regus brand behind it, Signature is a hand-picked selection of flexspaces set in some of the most prestigious and iconic buildings in top-tier cities around the world. The key appeal here is exclusivity; users know they are working from a sought-after location, such as London’s 100 Bishopsgate, with its incredible views, Paris’s Place Vendôme and Singapore’s Asia Square Tower 1 – essentially, these spaces are for affluent clients who want to work from not just any building, but the building. Companies who work from a Signature space feel all of the care and attention to detail of a five-star hotel, with an efficient reception desk, gym, showers and cafe service all on hand.
Founded in Amsterdam in 2006, Spaces is IWG’s more free-spirited brand, with a focus on coworking environments that also extends to private offices, meeting rooms, and European-style business clubs. It’s designed to appeal to entrepreneurs and creatives who are looking for something a bit different – sharper and more modern in design, with a slant towards a lifestyle space. For Altharwa, Spaces felt like the perfect fit for a new generation of Saudi businesses: “Young, creative, fun and inspiring, it represents the young Saudi demographic, and is in line with The Saudi Vision 2030,” he says of the kingdom’s goal of diversifying its economy with a youthful business scene beyond oil. Spaces has 400 locations, many in the world’s key hubs of creativity and innovation, from London to Silicon Valley. It naturally appeals to entrepreneurs and SMEs, but it’s also beginning to draw in major firms, who want to imbue their people with its entrepreneurial spirit. Centres usually feature a community programme of networking events, and offer extra-curricular activities, from bicycles and nature appreciation to podcasts, cross-boxing and yoga.
HQ Global is a slightly more traditional take on the office – with the same flexibility of IWG’s other brands, but all features honed to ensure practical, professional space with minimum fuss. With more than 150 locations worldwide, many in central business districts and close to major transport links such as airports, it particularly appeals to entrepreneurs, traders, smaller companies and professionals of all kinds. All locations offer meeting rooms, and the overriding priority is to facilitate productivity, by keeping barriers such as tech downtime and admin to an absolute minimum. Space is efficiently used, so workspaces may feel functional, but with maximum flexibility built in: clients can hire their own office for a day or a year on a pay-as-you-go basis, or on a range of monthly plans. There’s a membership option that allows you to move freely between locations, and an app to reserve and book.
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