The Rise of 'Busy Mum' Coworking In Manchester's Suburbia
BizSpace, the out-of-town serviced office provider, is stepping up its acquisitions as the Busy Mum coworking scene expands.
Since September 2017, BizSpace, the U.K.’s largest provider of flexible workspace, has acquired 10 properties, investing over £37M across the U.K. and adding 351K SF to its portfolio. The typical busy mum is among their target clients.
“It’s always been about the burbs for us,” BizSpace Commercial Director Emma Long said. “Our clients don’t want the city centre. They want a location near home, with parking.”
BizSpace has 21 bases in the North West, predominantly providing office space with some industrial space. The new Cheadle office is now 88% full and they are considering an expansion into Sale.
“We are the Premier Inn of our sector. We’re competitive, well designed, you can take what you want, we’re not in the city centre so our rates are lower, and we found during the last recession we were the perfect product for people who want to take their business off the kitchen table, and to grow their business,” Long said.
“It’s not all about quirky bean bags, and its not all about millennials. We’ve done nice olde worlde fit outs — rugs, and blue and white tiles. The design has to fit the people who come to how buildings, and they are mostly from a 3- [to] 5-mile radius.”
Backed by Värde Partners, BizSpace now has a total of 105 U.K.-wide properties, equating to more than 6M SF under ownership.
