Multinational serviced office and co-working space provider Regus has launched a new franchise scheme in Malaysia. Head of Partnership Growth at IWG Matthew James Kenley said in a press release that the serviced office market is one of the most exciting growth markets in the world, and the next frontier for franchise operators.

“We are excited to bring the many benefits of flexible working to more people and businesses across Malaysia.”

Flexible workspaces or co-working spaces have become a high-growth industry in recent years. Kenley said the flexible workspace industry is estimated to grow by 24% every year. “By 2020, 50% of all workers will work remotely most of the time. In 2022, the global mobile workforce will be 1.87 billion people.

“This is why global real estate giant JLL estimates that up to 30% of corporate real estate could be flexible workspace by 2030,” he added.

Part of IWG, Regus has been running workspaces for three decades. With the franchise program, the company seeks to accelerate its global growth with franchise partners worldwide.

“In the last six years, Malaysia has grown consistently with just six centres in two cities when we entered the market, to the 34 centres in five cities today."

“As demand for co-working space continues to grow exponentially, IWG Malaysia is planning to open at least 40 centres by year-end. Through this new franchise programme, we will be aggressively expanding our network and service offering in all the major and suburban cities,” Kenley said.

Under the programme, Regus will support franchisees throughout the lifecycle of their investment. The global Regus franchise team will work closely with the franchisees to ensure they have a framework to find the right location and design; are able to grow their market footprint backed by world-class operational and marketing support.