IWG announces plans to broaden Australian and New Zealand franchise portfolio

IWG, a workspace and coworking franchisor that employs more than 10,000 people and operates over 3,400 locations worldwide, has announced plans to aggressively expand throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Key growth markets identified by the organization include Tasmania, New South Wales, and Queensland. In New Zealand, the strategy will extend to focus on major cities such as Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland.

“There is a clear gap in the market for a high-quality product and our goal is to partner with IWG, the global leader, with a strong brand, professional infrastructure, and worldwide network to fulfill this need,” said Adam Adams, CEO of The Adams Group, IWG’s first Australian franchisees that signed up in 2020.

Growth for flexible workspaces is only increasing across both of these countries; a trend that can also be seen worldwide, particularly with the pandemic highlighting the benefits of moving away from a traditional office model.

In fact, by 2030, it’s predicted that 30 per cent of all commercial real estate will be flexible, with the industry worth over $11tr to the economies of 16 leading countries, including Australia.

“The appetite for flexible and co-working spaces was booming in Australia pre-COVID,” said Mark Bhardwaj, head of partnership growth at IWG across Australia and New Zealand, “and the pandemic has only increased demand.”