Awfis, India’s largest home-grown flex workspace provider, has announced a strategic partnership with NCP Commercials Private Limited (100% owned by entities controlled by Värde Partners) for VIOS Tower in Wadala, Mumbai.

The upcoming centre is spread across 25,000 sq. ft and is part of Awfis’ premium workspace offering, Awfis Gold. VIOS Tower will be the 2nd Awfis Gold center in Mumbai, following the 1st one in One International Centre, Lower Parel.

VIOS Tower is quality Grade A LEED Certified Gold project offering column less floor plates which helps achieve higher design efficiencies. Project is strategically situated at the burgeoning business hub in the heart of Mumbai city in close proximity to Bandra Kurla Complex via BKC connector from Easter Express Highway and easily accessible from Western, Central and Harbour line stations within 10 minutes and from Eastern Freeway in 5 minutes thus providing excellent rail and road connectivity.

Commenting on the new center, Amit Ramani, Founder & CEO, Awfis said, “We are happy to add our 2nd Awfis Gold center in Mumbai in a significant location like Wadala which will also attract demand from BKC. This marks our entry into an important micro-market within Mumbai and fits within our current strategy of adding Awfis centers across the country’s leading real estate markets. We will seek to ensure this center delivers an outstanding and premium work environment for the community members.”

This story appeared in the 23 August, 2022 issue of Realty+ and was originally published at: Awfis signs up new centre at VIOS Tower Wadala

As per a C-Suite Survey conducted by Colliers and Awfis, about 35% of the occupiers have seen a majority (75-100%) of employees returning to offices. This includes a hybrid way of working wherein employees come into the office a few times a week.

After a gap of two years, return to offices has gathered momentum with ebbing Covid-19 cases, signifying positive occupier confidence. At the same time, about 74% of the occupiers are looking towards distributed workspaces as a strategy to shift from location-centric to people-centric workspaces. This will enable flexibility to employees while furthering productivity gains for businesses.

The Colliers-Awfis joint report explores the status of return to work across different sectors. It delves into how occupiers are likely to choose distributed workspaces and devise flex space strategies by understanding their current usage patterns and preferences.

“The survey has made it clear that a distributed workspace strategy is the way to go for occupiers in this new era of experiential workplaces, as occupiers emerge from the after-effects of the pandemic. Flex spaces, in particular, are leading this growth, as occupiers from varied sectors are housing teams in flex centres across cities. This shift in strategy also reflects in the leasing by flex operators – flex operators leased about 3.5 million sq feet of space in H1 2022 across the top six cities, almost three-fourths of the flex leasing in entire 2021. Further, the survey reveals that as occupiers straddle business goals and employee wellbeing together, about 74% of the occupiers are looking at distributed workspace, and more than half of the IT/ITeS companies (the largest occupier group) prefer a distributed work model for their employees. Therefore, we can see opportunities for flex spaces not only in metro cities but also in non-metro cities. In fact, in non-metro cities, total flex spaces are likely to grow more than two-fold to 5.5 million sq feet by the end of 2022.” said Ramesh Nair, Chief Executive Officer | India and Managing Director, Market Development | Asia, Colliers.

Amit Ramani, Founder & CEO, Awfis said, “The findings of the survey are a testament to the success of the distributed work model and subsequently of flex spaces in catering to the ever-evolved workspace needs of India Inc. The survey unveils that currently 74% occupiers have adopted flex centres for their workspace needs given the multiple benefits associated with flex working. Going forward, 77% occupiers will include flex spaces as part of their workplace strategy. We expect exceptional demand in the future, driven largely by large corporates for de-densification of existing traditional offices.”

This story appeared in the 5 August, 2022 issue of Realty+ and was originally published at: 35% Companies see offices back in almost full swing

Awfis has announced the elevation of Sumit Lakhani as Deputy CEO of the company. Previously, Sumit was the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Awfis and has been a crucial part of the company since it’s inception in 2015.

Sumit has been instrumental in building the company from the ground up. He’s played a key business role, not limited only to sales and marketing. With his keen interest and acumen in finance and strategy, he has also been in the forefront of delivery, revenue generation and maximizing operational excellence. In his new role, Sumit will be responsible for all facets of the company’s investor relations, FP&A along with the existing responsibility of sales and marketing.

“I am honoured to be elevated to the role of Deputy CEO at Awfis and will continue to strive to further enrich the experiences for our existing community and scale towards greater heights. Awfis is redefining the future of work that focuses on creating a flexible, dynamic, and collaborative workplace environment for all its stakeholders and I am delighted to be a part of this journey.” said Sumit Lakhani, Deputy CEO, Awfis, commenting on his elevation.

Speaking further on this, Amit Ramani, Founder & CEO, Awfis said, “With his demonstrated ability to balance operational excellence with financial and marketing discipline, Sumit will provide instrumental leadership and direction to Awfis. I am confident Sumit will continue to drive innovation and growth for Awfis in his new role.”

Till date, Sumit has successfully led various rounds of fund-raise and his zealous commitment to transform Awfis from a coworking network to a complete workplace solution platform, demonstrates his dedication and immense contribution to the Awfis success story.

This story appeared in the 19 July, 2022 issue of Realty+ and was originally published at: Awfis elevates Sumit Lakhani to Deputy CEO, Realty+