Number of serviced offices double 2005 level

The number of serviced offices in Manchester and Liverpool has more than doubled since 2006, according to research by Instant, an online office agency service.

Instant found that in 2005 there were 37 serviced office centres in Manchester, but by 2011 the figure had grown to 77, with 13,002 desks.

However, serviced office prices in Manchester have had a bumpier ride with a peak of £288 per month for a single workstation in 2005, and a low of £224 in 2009. These have now recovered to £276 in 2011.

Manchester is the largest UK serviced office market outside London, but according to Instant's research its growth story is mirrored across other UK cities reflecting the country's global number one slot. Since 2005, all of the UK's top markets have more than doubled their number of available centres, with the exception of London, which has grown by 43%, and Edinburgh, which has grown by 50%.

In Liverpool, Instant found that in 2006 there were nine serviced office centres in Liverpool, but by 2011 the figure had grown to 20, with a total of 2,634 individual serviced workstations or desks. Serviced office prices reached a peak of £227 per month for a single workstation in 2011, and a hit low of £190 in 2005.

In 2011 there were 5,484 centres operating in 101 countries around the world, up 18.5% since 2008. The UK is the largest market and has 36% of the world's total centres. The US is the world's second largest market but has 25% fewer centres than the UK, even though its overall office market is considerably larger.

Patrick Elliott, chief executive of Instant, said: "The pace of the serviced office market growth is impressive considering we're in a global recession. We believe the reason for the growth is that advances in technology have revolutionised the way businesses occupy office space. Large corporate offices that would traditionally provide a desk for each employee are now reducing the amount of space that they occupy and embracing flexible working practices."

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