Office Space News
Regent, Avanta Go After Regus with International Alliance
Published July 29th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
While Regus catches its breath after a string of new serviced office openings and Businessworld strategic alliances, two of its competitors are making moves of their own.
In a cross-continental alliance, U.S.-based Regent Business Centers has partnered with U.K.-based Avanta Managed Offices to launch a global network of shared office space that will compete with Regus’ international serviced office locations.
“I’m very pleased to be working with Avanta in cross-promoting our centers,” says David Nadler, managing partner of Regent Business Centers. “It is advantageous for us to partner with a remarkably respected company like Avanta in the UK and elsewhere. This partnership, combined with our existing expansion plans in the United States, will drive our continued success.”
Broader Serviced Office Horizons
Although the Regent-Avanta partnership won’t span the breadth of The Regus Group, it will give companies that do business in more than one country additional options. The partnership specifically targets corporations looking to expand operations in the United States, the United Kingdom and India. Together, Regus and Avanta will offer more serviced office locations and top quality office services.
Regent is no newcomer to the serviced office industry. The company was founded more than 15 years ago. It operates 13 business centers in cities like Denver, New York, Chicago, Burbank, and San Francisco. Regent counts numerous large blue-chip corporations among its client base.
For its part, Avanta operates 18 unbranded business centers across the UK, including 13 in central London, as well as three in India. Avanta is on an aggressive growth path with plans to double in size within the next three years.
“I’m absolutely delighted at this opportunity to be partnering with such a highly regarded business center company as Regent, as this gives us both the opportunity to expand our networks,” says David Alberto, managing director of Avanta.
I saw this coming, and I’ve been wondering why it took so long for smaller companies to form strategic alliances like this. I don’t think this is the last of them. In order to compete with a Regus, these types of national and international partnerships are necessary. Not sure who will be next, but there are some interesting possibilities.
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Rob Zeus July 29th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
This is very interesting indeed. I did see one two smaller serviced office companies do an alliance in New York earlier this year, but I haven’t seen anything this big come out of the executive office suites industry yet. Some travelers have brand affinities. Others may not like Regus for some reason. There is definitely room in the serviced office market for these types of alliances.
Melanie Jones July 29th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Regent is a mid-sized, respectable serviced office operator on the U.S. Avanta holds the same position in the U.K. I think Avanta is growing much faster in its part of the world, though. Together, they definitely pack a more powerful international punch. It’s a good start and long-term they may be a contender. Right now, Regus has a stronghold on the market for global travelers.
Maggie Correta July 30th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
This is smart business. Not everybody wants to use Regus. If you are a Regent customer and you are traveling abroad, you get benefits from working with Avanta and vice versa. I think the serviced office industry needs to get smart. This is one way to expand the executive office suites footprint without necessarily investing in real estate.
Bill Brookshire July 30th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
These are the kinds of deals that really drive competition in the marketplace. Look at Yahoo and Microsoft teaming up against Google on the search front this week. That reminds me of this. Two smaller players joining forces in the serviced office industry for the betterment of their customers and to breed more competition in the industry. Win-win.
Elizabeth Sanchez July 31st, 2009 at 6:03 am
Cross-promotions is business 101. I am surprised that more companies in the serviced office space don’t do this sort of thing. When you don’t plan to expand into certain geographies, it only makes sense to partner. I know there are large networks of serviced office space that accomplish similar goals. But an official partnership between two trusted brands takes on a different life.
Melanie Jones July 31st, 2009 at 12:10 pm
This is good to see. It breeds more competition on an international level. There aren’t many, if any, that have the breadth of Regus. So this gives folks more options. That said, this is a drop in the bucket in terms of serviced office locations compared to what Regus has to offer. Although Regent and Avanta are both respected brands, Regus is far more global.
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