Vestian: Flex Operators Attain Economies of Scale, Heading Towards Profitability

Ø  Flex operators are taking up larger office spaces for subleasing

Bangalore, 1^st October 2024: Flex operators have expanded their footprint significantly in recent years to capitalize on economies of scale and meet the growing demand for flexible office spaces. As a result, this expansion is reflected in the average transaction size, which nearly doubled to 36,590 sq ft in H1 2024 from 2015 levels.  Additionally, it marks a 13% increase compared to H1 2023, although it has not yet reached the peak observed in 2020.

Year	Average Transaction Size (sq ft)
2015	17,357
2016	19,845
2017	25,336
2018	34,417
2019	25,626
2020	51,004
2021	34,053
2022	36,736
2023	31,014
H1 2024	36,590

 

Note: The above data is of office space taken up by flex operators for subleasing

Source: Vestian Research

Post-pandemic, average transaction size by flex operators increased across all cities except Mumbai. Mumbai saw a 46% decline, with the average transaction size dropping to 21,550 sq ft., On the other hand, Kolkata and Pune witnessed an increase of 238% and 219% respectively in average transaction size for the same period. Hyderabad recorded the highest average transaction size of 53,210 sq ft in the post-pandemic period, which has increased by 55% compared to the pre-pandemic period (2015-2019).

Flex stock is anticipated to cross the 100 Mn sq ft mark by the end of 2026

Flex market witnessed a demand shift post-pandemic from start-ups and SMEs to large conglomerates owing to flexibility and cost advantages. This led to significant growth which further contributed to the addition of 27 Mn sq ft of flex space to the total stock between 2020 and 2023 to cater to the growing demand. Moreover, around 10 Mn sq ft of flex stock was added in 2023 alone. Following this  growth trajectory, total flex stock reached 67 Mn sq ft by the end of H1 2024,  registering an annual increase of 25%. However, flex space still accounts for only 7.5% of the total grade-A office stock spread across the country. As office market continues to expand rapidly, flex stock is anticipated to cross the 100 Mn sq ft mark by the end of 2026, accounting for 20% of the pan-India office stock.

Years	Flexible space absorption (Mn sq ft)	% share in pan-India absorption
2016	1.1	2%
2017	2.2	5%
2018	4.8	10%
2019	6.8	14%
2020	3.5	9%
2021	4.9	12%
2022	8.4	16%
2023	10.4	17%
2024 (F)	10.5	17%
2025 (F)	12.3	19%
2026 (F)	13.5	20%

Note: The above data is of office space taken up by flex operators for subleasing

Source: Vestian Research

Shrinivas Rao, FRICS, CEO, Vestian said, “Indian flex operators are geared up to fulfill the requirements of large conglomerates. They have added 1.84 lakh seats within a year, reaching close to 1 Mn as of H1 2024. Also, around 48% of the pan-India flex stock is green-certified and 78% is in grade-A buildings to cater to environmentally conscious large MNCs. Significant cost advantages, robust economic growth, urbanization, and stable demand from IT-ITeS companies and start-ups are the major demand drivers for flex spaces in the country.”

Flex operators’ financials strengthen, heading towards profitability

Increased demand for flex spaces has led to strengthened financials. As a result, flex operators are able to negotiate favourable terms with fund houses and banks amid robust revenue streams. With strong revenue streams and ample funds, profitability is on the horizon as demand for flexible workspaces continues to remain high.

Mr. Rao further added, “Flex operators not only grew in number but also expanded geographically. While tier-1 cities are major markets for flex operators, tier-2 cities such as Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, and Chandigarh are also gaining traction on the back of improved connectivity due to nationwide infrastructure developments, affordable office rentals, and ample availability of skilled workforce.”