Global workspace provider Regus has opened its first business centre in Madagascar, its 95th country. The centre will help businesses of all sizes to access new revenues in East Africa whilst keeping down the costs of expansion.
The Madagascar opening is part of a rapid extension of Regus’s network in Africa and worldwide. In 2011 the company announced it would grow its network by at least 75% by 2014, adding some 30 new countries. Africa is a key development market in Regus’s expansion: it added Uganda, Ivory Coast, Zambia to its network in 2011, and its network of centres stretches across the continent.
The growth of the Regus network is helping more and more companies to open up new revenue streams in Africa’s emerging and frontier markets, without the high upfront costs of taking on long-term space abroad. These markets offer huge opportunities to businesses in all sectors, with The Economist predicting that seven of the world’s top ten fastest-growing economies in 2011-15 will be in Africa.[1] Business centres like Regus Madagascar offer companies a flexible base while they explore a market – networking, finding partners or suppliers, and recruiting staff.
The new centre also provides drop-in workspace for people travelling in Madagascar on business. And it presents a new option for companies already established there, which want an alternative to the expense and inflexibility of fixed-office working.
The opening of the first Regus business centre in Madagascar comes as the Malagasy economy recovers from a period of political instability. Growth is predicted at 2.8% in 2012, as mining companies scale up production and tourism strengthens.
Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus, comments: “Any business that wants to grow needs to find new markets, and Africa is an important development market for companies of all sizes. To help our customers grow, we have invested significantly in new centres in Africa – in Madagascar, Zambia, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania and others – opening the way for businesses to explore these emerging and frontier markets. Our network of high-quality, flexible accommodation is enabling companies in all sectors to find new markets and better ways to work.”
[1] [1] “Africa’s impressive growth”, The Economist, 11 January 2011.
Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world’s largest network of video communication studios. Regus enables people to work their way, whether it’s from home, on the road or from an office. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.
Over a million customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,300 locations in 550 cities and 99 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: www.regus.com