Flex workspace provider Awfis has opened two new coworking spaces in Kolkata in line with the company’s aim to double its footprint from 2.5 million sq ft to more than over 5 mn sq ft in 2021, the home-grown firm has said.
The new flexible workspaces are located at 50 Chowringhee Road and Ecocentre Business Tower, Sector V, Bidhannagar.
“Kolkata has emerged as a key industrial hub with enormous potential over the years. With this new launch in the market, Awfis has re-emphasised its leadership position as the largest network of co-working spaces spread across 12 cities in India,” Awfis CEO and founder Amit Ramani said.
Globally, organisations are shifting from traditional real estate models and partnering with co-working operators to set up hub and spoke model. The coronavirus outbreak that changed the way we work has only added to the urgency.
A similar trend is being seen in Kolkata, with many leading companies partnering with co-working players to offer flexi workspaces for their employees.
Awfis’ Chowringhee Road centre is spread across 78,000 sq ft and located in the Landmark Heritage Building in the commercial district.
The first phase of the launch will go live this month with 32,000 sq ft area and the second phase in 120 days with 46,000 sq ft area, the company has said.
The first phase is spread across three floors and is a fine balance of minimalist interiors, world-class amenities and a scenic view of the Victoria Memorial, St Paul’s Cathedral and Birla Planetarium.
With over 650 workstations, the space has been designed in compliance with the latest safety and hygiene standards to provide a healthy and secured workplace ecosystem, the company said.
The Ecocentre Business Tower centre is a premium property and is one of Awfis’ “elitist centres”. It has over 350 workstations and banquet spaces spread across 15,000 sq ft.
Awfis has five other co-working centres in Kolkata—one each in Camac Street and Rajarhat and three in Salt Lake. With the two new centres, the co-working firm has seven centres and more than 3,000 seats with over 2.5 lakh sq ft in Kolkata.
“As we emerge into the new normal in a post-pandemic world, Awfis is witnessing increasing demand from even the most traditional companies with centralised models,” Ramani said.
The demand was largely been fuelled by the shift in preference towards the distributed workspace concept and the adoption of hybrid model of working, alongside Awfis’ unparalleled offerings and services, he said.
Awfis has 75 operational co-working centres with 40,000 seating capacity in 12 Indian cities, including Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ahmedabad, Indore and Chandigarh.
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