WeWork India’s 2k-seater coworking centre to come up in city in June

CHENNAI: Coworking major WeWork India on Tuesday said it has entered Chennai market and has taken on lease 1.3 lakh square feet of office space in Chennai to open a new centre with a capacity of 2,000 desks.

In a statement, the Bengaluru-based WeWork India said, it has taken on lease over 1,30,000 square feet of office space in the commercial building ‘Olympia Cyberspace’ developed by Olympia Group.

The new centre, having a total capacity of more than 2,000 desks, will be operational in June.

Karan Virwani, CEO, WeWork India, said the company will be opening its first flexible workspace in Chennai, a city known for its vibrant culture, urban population, and rapidly growing business ecosystem.

“We are witnessing a continued surge in demand for flexible workspaces across India,” he added.

As organisations rapidly return to work from offices, Virwani said there is a growing need for flexible and customisable workspaces that can facilitate hybrid or full-time work models.

“With a strong pipeline of deals, we are excited to expand our presence into Chennai, with a focus on creating a range of custom solutions suited for diverse businesses,” he said.

WeWork India now has a presence across eight cities - New Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad. At present, it has 54 coworking centres with over 90,000 desks across seven cities.

In the southern region, the company has 27 locations and over 44,500 desks across Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Chandrakant Kankaria, Joint MD, Olympia Group, said the building is strategically located near the metro station, parks, hotels, and F&B hubs.

“We are delighted to have WeWork India in Olympia Cyberspace, and are confident that they will further elevate and redefine the flexible workspace sector in the city,” he said.

In WeWork India, Bengaluru-based real estate firm Embassy Group has a 73 per cent stake, while WeWork Global has a 27 per cent shareholding.