What's with the regional shortage of
managed offices?

In recent years, managed office spaces have skyrocketed in popularity within the industry. Traditional landlords now offer fully fitted, all-inclusive spaces; the classic serviced offices are evolving by incorporating self-contained floors and innovative providers like Kitt and Pulse have stepped in to offer customised managed solutions for tenants. Managed spaces are everywhere. It seems they have become a widely recognised and valuable middle ground for tenants looking to advance to the next stage of their business journey. But where are they outside of Central London?

Flexible offices are no doubt renowned for their custom-built start-up and SME sanctuaries. From their communal breakout areas, versatile hot desks and drop in phone booths, every aspect of the co-working space is designed to support the needs of emerging businesses. But, as companies outside of London evolve beyond the startup ethos, and seek a transition to a more sophisticated setting, options are practically non-existent. 

The ‘managed’ trend is undoubtedly more concentrated within Central London, with constant spaces popping up from the likes of WorkThere, Metspace, RX London and newcomer, Made. And yet, it seems in regional areas, managed office products are notably scarce.

Enter Let Ready, who is filling a significant gap in the regional market, that is, between startup culture and fully-fledged, self-contained floors. Let Ready’s Marketing Manager, Grace Justice tells Flex and The City: “Unlike traditional serviced providers, Let Ready offers a more distinguished space, featuring your own dedicated amenities”. 

Each studio boasts a self-contained fit-out, complete with a fitted kitchen, dedicated meeting room(s), soft seating, breakout areas, and top-tier building amenities, all under a flexible short-form agreement. Tenants can also opt for the Let Ready Complete package, which offers a fully serviced solution with a distinct space and separate front door entrance.

Essentially, Let Ready’s approach balances the need for more mature environments with the flexibility of serviced arrangements in regional locations. Grace underlines, “we are never one to follow the pack. We’ve certainly identified and addressed a significant gap in the flex market to date”. 

It’s fair to say that Let Ready are definitely within the minority, eliminating the limbo phase between the classic start-up, co-working style, and a lease. We definitely need many more operators to follow suit in order to cater to this significant customer bracket. Any takers?