In the cozy atmosphere of the large living room, Xavier quietly consults his latest emails. Installed on a solid wood table, a hot coffee placed next to his laptop, the man seems imperturbable: neither the muffled conversations of the other customers, nor the lounge music broadcast at low volume do not take him off his screen. “I’ve always liked working in open spaces. It’s much livelier than small closed offices,” he explains, casting a benevolent look at the employees around him. Because contrary to appearances, the businessman did not come to spend his morning in a luxurious Parisian café. The vast space in which he has taken up residence, with an exceptional view of the Place de la Concorde, is in fact his new workplace, shared with dozens of other “co-workers”. “The site is impressive, isn’t it?” he smiles, delighted. And for good reason: for a budget of 900 euros per month, this Parisian has offered himself a place of choice on the floors of the Hôtel de la Marine, occupied until 2015 by the staff of the National Navy, then rented by the coworking company Morning.
Renovated over four years by the Center des monuments nationaux (CMN), then inaugurated in June 2020, the site offers its employees more than 6,000 square meters of open space, private offices and meeting rooms, spread over the three top floors of the building. But beware: here, co-working wants to be “premium”. Tailor-made furniture, concierge service available to employees, sports lessons, massage room installed in a cabinet that was occupied by Guy de Maupassant – a time clerk at the Ministry of the Navy -, subdued nap room installed under the vaults of the building… The place wishes to correspond to a certain “status” of workers. “That’s what I was looking for: I prefer to pay the price and work in a top-of-the-range space, which corresponds more to my needs than an office full of students or young people launching their start-ups”, sums up Xavier, who works in particular with major financial directors. “I have to be able to receive them in a suitable environment,” he adds, before getting back to work.
A luxury coworking that attracts independent employees, like Xavier, but also large groups or organizations, such as the International Football Federation (Fifa). “The place is a real success: when it opened a year and a half ago, we only had a 10% occupancy rate for our offices. Now, we are at 70%… And that’s only been increase,” says Agathe Fouache, communications manager for Morning. The young woman admits it: this space, rented for a closed office at around 1200 euros per month and per post, is more expensive than other coworking places offered by Morning. “But we adapt to all our types of customers,” she argues. “We have to align ourselves with market demands, which have largely evolved since the pandemic”, abounds for his part Alain Brosset, founder of the Belgian company Welkin & Meraki, which also offers “high-end” coworking spaces.
“Here, you will not see walls of all colors”
Last November, his company inaugurated a coworking space of more than 3,000 square meters, spread over two floors of the Trinity tower, in the business district of La Défense. And Alain Brosset prefers to announce it right away: “We have positioned ourselves as premium players”. In his offices, the businessman thus promises a “more corporate and more sober” layout than in so-called “classic” coworking places. “At the level of the customers we receive”, he specifies, drawing up the non-exhaustive list of the major financiers, banks, insurance companies or behemoths of the CAC40 already occupying his premises.
“Here, you won’t see walls of all colors, and our customers don’t come down for a beer at 5 p.m. in jeans and t-shirts. Nor are there classes every other night to learn making smoothies or painting her nails,” he says. “With us, it’s more serious business”. On the other hand, Welkin & Meraki insists on the panoply of luxury services granted to its customers, ranging from a barista service and “top-of-the-range” meals to a concierge service offering dry cleaning and a change of shirts at any time of the day, while going through a shoe repair service. “The large companies that we serve cannot settle in a world of coworking either if the offices are not adapted, in terms of security, connection or confidentiality standards for example”, adds Alain Brosset, who affirms respond to a “continuously increasing” demand since the pandemic.
Since March 2020, despite the pandemic, his business has grown by 32%, and now boasts an 85% occupancy rate in its offices in the Trinity Tower, offered from 600 euros per month and per week. workplace. “The premium coworking market was already there, but it has been tremendously accelerated by the health crisis”, deciphers the founder of Welkin & Meraki. “With telecommuting and the insecurity caused by the Covid, large companies are more than ever demanding flexibility: expand or reduce their offices as they see fit, and manage these spaces themselves”. Over the next few months, Alain Brosset assures d Moreover, the occupancy rate of its premises remains stable. “We sign contracts for two or three years, which are very often renewed. For the moment, we have visibility on the occupation of our offices of almost 100% for six years”, he explains.
“Network and social link”
“It’s only growing, we’ve had huge demand since last September,” confirms Laurent Geneslay, founder of The Bureau and owner of four “premium” coworking addresses in the capital. Same recipe, same success. Concierge service, courier, ultra-fast fiber, state-of-the-art computer equipment, sober decoration, top-of-the-range restaurants integrated directly into premises located in the most chic districts of Paris… The spaces offered by The Bureau have won over a new population of CSP + and large groups, eager to settle in opulent open spaces and available “à la carte”. “With the pandemic, we had dropped to 65% occupancy rate … To go up to 85% as soon as the crisis is over”, indicates Laurent Geneslay, who announces a price per workstation and per person oscillating between 800 and 850 euros per month.
“We pay the price, but it’s worth it,” says Marie Hombrouck, headhunter and client of The Bureau. For two privatized spaces in the 7th arrondissement, this former lawyer now pays 6,000 euros per month, all inclusive. “You have all the services, furniture, Internet, cleaning fees, concierge fees, common areas… And a flexibility that you can’t find anywhere else,” she points out. During the confinement, a more hollow period, the business manager was thus able to abandon one of her two offices, to finally rent it again at the end of the crisis. “It helped me a lot,” she says, also delighted with the “small advantages” of coworking.
“You meet a lot of different people, you create a network, and social ties,” explains Marie, taking as an example an anecdote that particularly marked her. After the pandemic, slightly demoralized, the Parisian exchanged with a member of the catering service, evoking her taste for chocolate bears which she unfortunately could not find in the cafeteria of the place. “After a meeting, I came back to my office, and he had placed them all over my office. It’s the kind of little attentions that put a human touch back into our job!” enthuses Marie. And the bet seems to be working: very soon, a new space The Bureau will open in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Laurent Geneslay, he already ensures to monitor the coworking market in other major cities, such as Bordeaux, Lyon or Lille.
“Like iPhones”
Lawrence Knights, co-founder of Kwerk office spaces, also confirms the trend… And even dares the metaphor with Apple. “It’s like the Iphone, we release one every year,” he jokes. Founded in 2015, his company perfectly assumes its “luxury” positioning, even offering its customers fully customizable workspaces – from the partitioning system of an open space to the type of material used to manufacture the furniture. “Our common areas are treated like the lobbies of a large hotel, with very strong work on design and exclusivity in our services and reception areas, which creates a strong sense of belonging for our members” , testifies Lawrence Knights, who indicates that he welcomes managers of investment funds, investment banks and large law firms into his spaces.
“They are very demanding, you have to live up to their expectations”, he underlines, referring to prices from “2000-2500 euros per post”. “But it can go well beyond depending on the client’s requests”, specifies the co-founder. No matter: each year, its offices are more and more popular. When one of its first buildings opened in 2017, the occupancy rate was 50%. The next one, opened in May 2020, was 60% pre-filled. The offices that will soon open in Saint-Honoré, in the 8th arrondissement, are already more than 90% full.