Regus: Flexibility at no outlay
In today's difficult environment Regus offices provides flexibility and a low risk, Olivier de Lavalette, vice president of Regus for Europe, the Middle East and Africa told The Times Business. He was speaking in an interview shortly after the Regus...
In today's difficult environment Regus offices provides flexibility and a low risk, Olivier de Lavalette, vice president of Regus for Europe, the Middle East and Africa told The Times Business. He was speaking in an interview shortly after the Regus business centre in Swatar was opened by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.
Regus is the number one operator of professionally serviced offices, office meeting rooms and temporary offices worldwide. "We provide fully serviced offices where we take care of the building, the reception area, phone, IT, and you take care of your business. We are present in 75 countries, 450 cities, in about 1,000 different locations in the world. We are truly a global brand and are present everywhere. We have 30 centres in Paris alone," Mr de Lavalette said.
"As a really developing economy we felt we could help bring foreign companies into Malta and make it easier for them to do so. Why? Because they could come into Malta and take up a short term contract with us, see how it goes, and then perhaps if their venture is successful they will stay for a longer period, or set up a permanent presence, and bring more people over here. Malta being in the EU is clearly a huge benefit as many of our corporate clients want to have a presence in EU member states and so we are asking to our worldwide clients to bring them to Malta as well."
Mr de Lavalette explained that the three main benefits of using Regus are flexibility, time, place and duration. "A company can come with one, two, three, five, 10 people or more, they can come for one day, three days, a week, a month, a year, and they can use us in Malta or anywhere else in the world where we operate. This flexibility is really one of the key benefits that we provide. We take care of the entire office environment. We have meeting rooms, kitchens that they can use. Our receptionist provides services and support. Companies only take care of their core business which is an essential point in today's business environment."
He added: "Companies certainly benefit from our presence all over the world and in today's globalised business environment companies are more and more mobile. In Malta you can have foreign companies who operate from here and abroad while over here you can have Maltese companies wanting to operate from here and from Italy, for example."
Most of Regus' offices are in landmark buildings. "For example we are in the Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, we are in some of the landmark buildings in Paris, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Shanghai, Tokyo and New York. We really bring a professional environment to companies. Malta didn't have many of those, so it is actually providing a top of the line professional environment to Maltese companies and foreign companies coming into Malta. If you are Peugeot, for example, which is one of our clients, then you are used to working in a class "A" environment and having professional facilities," he said.
Mr de Lavalette said that the global economic climate has affected Regus "on several fronts". He explained: "This is a global multi-sector crisis and our customers are suffering globally, so we are being impacted. Some of our customers are going into bankruptcy. That's the negative side. However, we see our services as providing flexibility in this crisis. It minimises the risk.
"If you have to set up an office, in most markets you have to sign a lease which is usually long-term. That is risky. With us you can sign a contract for three months or even one month. There is no commitment vis-a-vis time or office space. Flexibility is the nature of our business. No investment is needed. Everything is provided. In today's crisis that is useful."
He said Regus targets both international companies and Maltese companies who for example also want to operate from Italy. "We have had international companies coming and local companies such as those in the gaming industry, which is doing well in Malta, and Maltese entrepreneurs who are asking us for help in working abroad. So, three types of clients are working here today. Our product range is quite large.
"We have meeting rooms and companies don't have to be clients to use them. We are in the hospitality industry and we treat people as if they were our customers and that is important. You can also use this place as a professional address - some people might operate from home - and come here one or two times a week."
The Regus business centre in Swatar we can seat about 140 people, but in actual fact that number is much larger because it also caters for many part-times. "Worldwide we have about 400,000 customers but not all of them are sitting in their office every day of the week. And of course there are those customers who want to use our services to arrange for the use of similar facilities in other countries where we operate in, for example, a Maltese lawyer who has a case in Milan or Brussels," he said.
Regus is the number one operator of professionally serviced offices, office meeting rooms and temporary offices worldwide. "We provide fully serviced offices where we take care of the building, the reception area, phone, IT, and you take care of your business. We are present in 75 countries, 450 cities, in about 1,000 different locations in the world. We are truly a global brand and are present everywhere. We have 30 centres in Paris alone," Mr de Lavalette said.
"As a really developing economy we felt we could help bring foreign companies into Malta and make it easier for them to do so. Why? Because they could come into Malta and take up a short term contract with us, see how it goes, and then perhaps if their venture is successful they will stay for a longer period, or set up a permanent presence, and bring more people over here. Malta being in the EU is clearly a huge benefit as many of our corporate clients want to have a presence in EU member states and so we are asking to our worldwide clients to bring them to Malta as well."
Mr de Lavalette explained that the three main benefits of using Regus are flexibility, time, place and duration. "A company can come with one, two, three, five, 10 people or more, they can come for one day, three days, a week, a month, a year, and they can use us in Malta or anywhere else in the world where we operate. This flexibility is really one of the key benefits that we provide. We take care of the entire office environment. We have meeting rooms, kitchens that they can use. Our receptionist provides services and support. Companies only take care of their core business which is an essential point in today's business environment."
He added: "Companies certainly benefit from our presence all over the world and in today's globalised business environment companies are more and more mobile. In Malta you can have foreign companies who operate from here and abroad while over here you can have Maltese companies wanting to operate from here and from Italy, for example."
Most of Regus' offices are in landmark buildings. "For example we are in the Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur, we are in some of the landmark buildings in Paris, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Shanghai, Tokyo and New York. We really bring a professional environment to companies. Malta didn't have many of those, so it is actually providing a top of the line professional environment to Maltese companies and foreign companies coming into Malta. If you are Peugeot, for example, which is one of our clients, then you are used to working in a class "A" environment and having professional facilities," he said.
Mr de Lavalette said that the global economic climate has affected Regus "on several fronts". He explained: "This is a global multi-sector crisis and our customers are suffering globally, so we are being impacted. Some of our customers are going into bankruptcy. That's the negative side. However, we see our services as providing flexibility in this crisis. It minimises the risk.
"If you have to set up an office, in most markets you have to sign a lease which is usually long-term. That is risky. With us you can sign a contract for three months or even one month. There is no commitment vis-a-vis time or office space. Flexibility is the nature of our business. No investment is needed. Everything is provided. In today's crisis that is useful."
He said Regus targets both international companies and Maltese companies who for example also want to operate from Italy. "We have had international companies coming and local companies such as those in the gaming industry, which is doing well in Malta, and Maltese entrepreneurs who are asking us for help in working abroad. So, three types of clients are working here today. Our product range is quite large.
"We have meeting rooms and companies don't have to be clients to use them. We are in the hospitality industry and we treat people as if they were our customers and that is important. You can also use this place as a professional address - some people might operate from home - and come here one or two times a week."
The Regus business centre in Swatar we can seat about 140 people, but in actual fact that number is much larger because it also caters for many part-times. "Worldwide we have about 400,000 customers but not all of them are sitting in their office every day of the week. And of course there are those customers who want to use our services to arrange for the use of similar facilities in other countries where we operate in, for example, a Maltese lawyer who has a case in Milan or Brussels," he said.