First European Launch for Wojo, by Accor, in Barcelona
Main Photo: The new Wojo, Barcelona – imagined
Date: October 2019
Location: Sancho de Avila 65, Barcelona, Spain
Name: Wojo Poblenou Co-Working Site – opening xx
No. of Keys: no beds – 8,305 sqm co-working space
Seller: TBA
Buyer: Five years after its first work space opened, Wojo is setting up its first co-working site outside of France and has chosen the administrative and economic capital of Catalonia to set up shop. As a result, the new player in the world of co-working is confirming its European ambitions and accelerating its development to become the biggest co-working network in Europe.
It is leasing one of the rare new assets available in Barcelona, in the 22@ business district which is today the most sought after in the city. Wojo will be the sole tenant of the Sancho de Avila 65 office building, a project built by Conren Tramway and owned by Amundi. This exceptional 8,305-m² lease immediately makes Wojo a key player in the Spanish co-working sector.
Spain is the 2nd placed country in Europe, behind the United Kingdom, in terms of shared work spaces. The proportion of real estate property dedicated to co-working by 2025 is estimated to be 30% and this trend is conducive to the establishment of new players on the market.
The Catalan capital is the 6th most populated city in Europe with almost 5 million inhabitants
The 22@ district is a new business district of Barcelona, stemming from one of the biggest urban redevelopment projects in Europe. This area harnesses a mixed ecosystem comprising giants from the high-tech and communication sectors, such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Ogilvy & Mather or Media Pro, major cultural or commercial sites such as the Can Framis Museum (Vila Casas Foundation), the National Theatre of Catalonia or the Glòries shopping centre, as well as several universities. Thanks to the tram, underground railway, trains, buses and bike share services, it boasts optimum accessibility.
Wojo premises will be arranged into comfortable, warm and fun spaces that mix living areas, such as lounges, kitchen corners, rest areas, etc., and zones specifically reserved for work. “95% of our members choose dedicated offices to set up their teams. As such, they take advantage of a private space whilst enjoying the benefits of the shared zones, the community and access to the entire Wojo network,” points out Stéphane Bensimon, CEO of Wojo. The premises offer the possibility of installing almost 800 workstations.
“Our ambition is to be the leading player in “workspitality” by developing, all over the world, a large network of places, to create unique work experiences, with a full range of services, designed to be pleasant, to encourage performance and to bring talents together. This first step accomplished in Spain represents the fulfilment and assertion of this ambition. Wojo is exporting its “French touch” to Barcelona and is becoming a French co-working player on the international stage, which makes us particularly proud”.
Wojo is a major player on the market of new living spaces at work. A 50/50 joint venture created in 2015 by Bouygues Immobilier and Accor, Wojo is part of the dynamic that transforms working practices and meets the expectations of companies and their employees seeking working conditions that encourage inspiration, performance and creation of inter-company links, as well as better harmony between private and professional life.
Today, more than one hundred addresses in France play host to companies and their employees, nomadic workers, freelancers, or business travellers, as well as even local inhabitants:
– 8 Wojo co-working sites in Paris and the Ile-de-France region plus 2 in Lyons, spread over 50,000 m2, play host to more than 5,000 members. New sites soon to be opened can be found at Paris Madeleine, Paris Montparnasse, Lille and Barcelona.
– More than 100 Wojo Corners and Wojo Spots, which can mainly be found in Accor hotels.
Wojo will roll out more than 300 addresses by the end of 2019 and aims to roll out 1,200 addresses in Europe by 2022.
Stéphane Bensimon, CEO of Wojo, has this vision: “Our ambition is to be the leading player in “workspitality” by developing, all over the world, a large network of places, to create unique work experiences, with a full range of services, designed to be pleasant, to encourage performance and to bring talents together”.
THPT Comment: Wojo’s move into Accor hotels, is following or perhaps creating the trend to combine co-working with hotel facilities.
First Seen: Accor – Wojo website
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