Earning the commute: roundtable on the UK’s flexible office space sector

“The building has to earn the commute. There has to be a reason for people to come into an office building, and that’s why you’re seeing this bifurcation between the best and the rest,” said Steven Mew, customer experience and flex director at GPE, during Shoosmiths’ recent roundtable on the UK’s flexible office space sector.

The discussion, held at the firm’s London studio, coincided with new research showing that flexible workspace locations in the UK have achieved their highest ever occupancy level. 

The analysis from Instant Group shows overall flexible occupancy at 83 per cent and nearly half (42 per cent) of spaces reporting 90 per cent occupancy – demonstrating the market’s growth and a shift from occupiers towards high-quality, flexible office space.

But, is this move just a by-product of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on working patterns, or is the adoption of flex space a trend that’s here to stay? The roundtable sought to investigate this by bringing together funders, operators, developers and agents, as well as legal experts for a discussion on the sector’s growth and evolution of the UK’s office market.

Taking part in the discussion

• Steven Griffiths, head of asset management at LSPIM
• Lorna Brown, CEO of Birchwood Real Estate Capital
• Steven Mew, customer experience and flex director at GPE
• Kate Horton, partner at Knight Frank (London Capital Markets)
• Katie Whell, operations director at Pure Offices
• Charlie Russell-Jones, senior leasing manager at HB Reavis
• Deborah Gordon Brown, real estate partner at Shoosmiths
• Nathan Rees, real estate partner at Shoosmiths
• Liz McKillop Paley, real estate partner at Shoosmiths

All information correct at the time of filming.