UK: Flexible workspace provider IWG has partnered with retail giant Tesco to convert excess space in Tesco stores in to offices.
The first location for the partnership will be the Tesco Extra in New Malden, south-west London. Located on the store’s upper mezzanine level, the 3,800 square foot space will contain 12 OpenDesks, 30 co-working spaces and a meeting room. OpenDesks is a new retail-based office-space concept which IWG says will provide greater privacy than traditional coworking areas.
Businesses and individuals will be able to access the workspaces from mid-May.
The move is part of IWG’s plan to add 1,000 new locations to its global network in 2022 as the demand for hybrid working accelerates. Other new IWG locations across south London will include Twickenham, Sutton and Battersea Power Station.
Tesco head of strategic partnerships Louise Goodland said: “We are pleased to be working with IWG to offer customers the chance to work more flexibly from their local Tesco. We are always looking to serve our customers and communities better and we will be interested to see how they respond to this new opportunity.”
IWG founder and CEO Mark Dixon said: “For several decades we have been at the forefront of hybrid work, empowering people to work more productively and conveniently. People don’t want to spend hours commuting every day and instead want to live and work in their local communities. A Tesco Extra in a suburban location, in the middle of a vibrant local community, is the perfect location for flexible office space.”
