The office space provider has signed its first franchise partnership in Scotland with new centers to be opened in North and South Lanarkshire.
Over the next three years, IWG plan to open three centers in North and South Lanarkshire to reduce commuting times for those who live in the Central Belt’s neighboring towns. It will also provide those who commute into Glasgow and Edinburgh an opportunity to work closer to home in the long term.
IWG has witnessed a 20-25 per cent increase in inquiries for IWG workspaces in suburban areas over the last quarter, and is consequently planning to open three centers by 2024.
IWG will partner with Tommy Nevin, experienced EE and BT franchisee; Graeme Orr, a freelance project management consultant for a variety of organizations; Tony McCabe and Scott Gibson, greatly experienced operations directors who have significant experience in financial services and telecoms.
Tommy Nevin, Tony McCabe and Scott Gibson manage around 70 per cent of BT’s Scottish operations between them, and plan to move their BT staff to the first IWG franchise center when it opens.
“We’re putting our collective business knowledge together to make a real difference to the lives of commuters, and we are on the lookout for property owners who are interested in helping this vision come to life,” said Nevin.
The pandemic has led to calls for more flexible workspaces outside of big cities. 46 per cent of British people say they would quit their job if asked to return to the office and 83 per cent have said they are more likely to apply for a job that offers flexible working.
“The pandemic has accelerated a trend that we were already seeing across the world, the shift towards hybrid working. Employees want the freedom to work closer to home, avoiding a lengthy commute to the office – and businesses are listening,” said Julie Chambers, head of franchise at IWG – U.K. and Ireland.
“We’ve seen the demand soar considerably around the world in 2021 with more than a 350 percent increase in new locations committed by franchise partners so far this year, compared to the same period in 2020.
“Our U.K. partnerships have played a huge part in this and now, we are delighted to bring the opportunity to Scotland where there is still plenty of unmet demand across the country.”
