18 de noviembre.
(ICSC) Centros comerciales en busca de tipos de inquilinos alternativos para llenar 15,000 pies cuadrados o más, tome nota. Venture X is on a mission to fuel the coworking sector’s growth through its franchising model. The eight-year-old firm has 31 locations in the U.S., three in Canada and one each in Costa Rica, Dubai and the U.K. Shopping centers like Las Colinas Village in Irving, Texas, and Rosemary Square in Florida´s West Palm Beach are among its landlords.
“El comercio minorista siempre ha sido parte de nuestra estrategia de crecimiento”, dijo Paula Mercer, vicepresidente de operaciones en Venture X, que es parte de United Franchise GroupLa familia de empresas de . “Trabajamos con grandes centros comerciales y propietarios de centros comerciales en busca de oportunidades en mercados clave”.
Cada Venture X La ubicación ofrece oficinas privadas, espacio comunitario, una cafetería, servicios de tecnología y la opción de alquilar salas de conferencias, buzones y espacio para eventos. Los usuarios pagan cuotas de membresía. “Nuestros espacios atraen no solo a autónomos y emprendedores, sino también a pequeñas y medianas empresas, trabajadores remotos y más”, dijo Mercer. “Estamos diseñados para crecer con nuestros clientes”.
The firm´s vision fits well with studies showing retail real estate is favored for workspaces. A 2019 Colliers International Retail Spotlight Report noted that consumers ranked shopping centers as their second preference among locations for coworking spaces. First, at least at the time, was a town or a city center surrounded by urban retail. “The demand and need for flexible working environments will continue to grow, as it’s no longer a trend but a lifestyle shift, and companies are acutely aware,” said Colliers national director of retail services Anjee Solanki.
RELACIONADO: Cómo Anjee Solanki entró en la industria de bienes raíces minoristas
Shopping centers make ideal locations for coworking, as they typically are near airports, downtowns or hotels and offer amenities like fitness centers, restaurants, coffee shops and services like UPS and FedEx, according to Solanki. “For landlords, having this concept adds additional foot traffic sales and potentially new customers. These new customers will also share what they would like to see at the center, encouraging new uses that may be currently void.”
JLL estimates flexible space will account for 30 percent of all U.S. office stock by 2030, up from the 2.3 percent it estimated in 2018. In retail properties, it will grow at a rate of 25 percent annually through 2023, reaching 3.4 million square feet, according to JLL. Millennials love the collaborative concept, and older generations, used to traditional office settings, increasingly favor it, as well, explains Mercer.
Venture X está decidido a reclamar un reclamo aún mayor en este nicho de mercado, planeando abrir 30 unidades franquiciadas en 2021. En los EE. UU., Venture X opera en California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia y Washington, DC Corporación LadyLee, la mayor arrendadora de Honduras, anunció en febrero la compra de derechos para desarrollar la franquicia en Centroamérica, República Dominicana, Portugal y España. es el primero Venture X abrió este año en City Mall, un centro comercial regional que posee en Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Venture X locations have rearranged furniture in their workspaces to comply with social distancing guidelines and to accommodate enhanced cleaning procedures. “We anticipate [the pandemic] to fuel growth long term rather than hamper it,” said Mercer. “Some companies are giving up their office space and are more interested in remote opportunities for employees, and employees are finding that working from home is not for everyone. These two major shifts will increase the growth already projected for coworking as we move into the next year and beyond.”
