Big changes coming for UK offices
Key Points
- The majority of senior executives at UK companies say that AI has made it impossible to estimate how much office space is needed for their workers.
- IWG is the London-listed owner of Regus, Spaces, and HQ signature, and globally the group is responsible for the largest flexible workspace holding in the world.
- The finding points towards a shift away from traditional long-term office leases, with companies instead scaling up or down based on headcounts and the number of days in the office.
- The group said it is now deliberately expanding beyond major cities into smaller town and metropolitan areas, as businesses focus on bring workspaces closer to where employees live rather than concentrating around traditional central business districts.
The majority of senior executives at UK companies say that AI has made it impossible to estimate how much office space is needed for their workers. This is according to International Workplace Group’s (IWG) latest results which were published on Tuesday (11 August).
IWG is the London-listed owner of Regus, Spaces, and HQ signature, and globally the group is responsible for the largest flexible workspace holding in the world.
The group’s data shows that 60% of CEOs and Chief Financial Officers has made it impossible to know how much office space their business will need in two years time.
The finding points towards a shift away from traditional long-term office leases, with companies instead scaling up or down based on headcounts and the number of days in the office.
IWG opened 425 new centres in the first half of 2026, up from 338 during the same period last year. It’s network now stands at 4,794 centres worldwide – a 17% increase compared to last year.
“Our strategy remains clear. We continue to expand our global coverage at pace, building an unrivalled network that extends from the world’s largest cities to smaller towns and regional markets,” said Chief Executive Christian Schmitz.
The group said it is now deliberately expanding beyond major cities into smaller town and metropolitan areas, as businesses focus on bring workspaces closer to where employees live rather than concentrating around traditional central business districts.
Notably, 98% of the deals the group signed in the first half of the year were ‘capital light’. This means that the company manages or franchises the site rather than taking the lease on directly itself.
In a a somewhat ironic twist, the group also confirmed it was using AI tools internally to cut costs and speed up its own operations.
