Rarely does an office rental model attract as much attention as coworking (work space shared by several companies and users) did with WeWork, which became worth $47 billion 9 years after its founding.

Images of workers sharing a beer at Friday lunch or working from comfortable armchairs while networking with people from other companies became the goal, but this 2023, after the company filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Canada, The model began to be viewed with suspicion.

However, according to experts, the company's case was isolated and after the pandemic, coworking took another approach that is making it grow.

Check here: Office rental prices report stability during 2023

Isaac Carreón, founding partner of Amxco (Mexican Association of Coworking and Flexible Spaces), says that in Mexico there are around 150,000 square meters of offices, with a greater presence in the country's capital where there is generally 75% occupancy. In other cities such as Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro and some in Bajío there are rates of up to 100%.

“The pandemic created the opportunity for new customer profiles to look at the industry. Previously, companies concentrated a number of square meters in the traditional scheme that they had to keep under contract but not occupy. When they finished, they looked for more flexible options,” says Carreon. That's when these types of corporate spaces became more attractive.

The manager adds that coworking gives the option for companies that have 50 employees, for example, to hire desks for only 30% of the people for the team that needs to attend in person or for occasional collaborators.

Companies have taken advantage of the format and large players such as banks or even the Cinépolis cinema chain have joined in, which has incentivized the companies that operate them.

For example, Comunal is in the moment of greatest stability that it has enjoyed and it has been a company that has grown very sustainably and with a lot of stability, indicated Ramón García Quintana, Country Head of the firm. In November 2023 they had the highest occupancy rate they have ever experienced, with an average of 90% across all locations.

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In the future, Ramón García Quintana sees growth for his company and for the rest of the industry, since in addition to office rentals stabilizing and companies adapting to flexible schemes, he sees a window of opportunity.

“Of the universe of square meters of offices in Mexico, only around 2.5% of spaces are allocated to coworking, while in other countries the figure reaches up to 12%,” he points out.

In Solili you can check offices available in Reforma and Polanco

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