In German metropolitan regions, the decentralised use of office and co-working space is becoming increasingly important. As surveys by International Workplace Group (IWG) based on daily Wi-Fi logins at locations operated by its brands such as Regus and Spaces demonstrate, attendance across the urban centres of Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin and Munich has risen significantly. An increasing number of professionals are combining hybrid working arrangements with living in suburban or regional centres in order to cut down on long commutes while continuing to work in a professional office environment.
High growth rates in suburban fringe locations and commuter towns
Hamburg recorded the strongest growth in visits to flexible workspaces between June 2025 and June 2026, with an increase of 40 per cent. A significant share of this growth was attributable to suburbs; visitor numbers at Regus Hamburg Hammerbrook, for instance, rose by 104 per cent. Frankfurt am Main followed with an increase of 26.6 per cent, driven by double-digit growth in surrounding areas, including Neu-Isenburg with a rise of 51.5 per cent.
In Greater Munich, usage climbed by 15.9 per cent, with peripheral office centres seeing particularly strong demand. The Regus centre in Unterföhring registered an increase of 246.9 per cent, while the Ismaning location expanded by 123.8 per cent. The Regus Neue Messe Riem site also recorded a clear increase in visitors of 137.6 per cent.
- —Frankfurt, Regus Darmstädter Landstraße: +167.0 %
- —Schwetzingen, Regus Carl-Benz-Straße: +167.0 %
- —Konstanz, Regus Constantia Blue: +155.7 %
Expansion via capital-light partnership models
To address this shift in demand, IWG is continuing to expand its network. The expansion is being carried out via a capital-light model under which 95 per cent of agreements are now concluded in partnership with property owners. Across Germany, 82 new locations have opened since 2025. Since the start of 2026 alone, a further 91 agreements have been signed, contributing to a global record of 728 new signings. In the four leading German metropolitan regions, a total of 34 new locations have commenced operations since early 2025, accounting for almost half of all new openings nationwide.
Christian Schmitz, CEO of International Workplace Group, explained that the growing uptake across metropolitan and peripheral areas reflects the broad acceptance of flexible working models. Companies are increasingly seeking strategies that give employees access to high-quality workspaces close to where they live. This provides businesses with greater flexibility and reduces the need for permanently leased, vacant space, while employees can avoid time-consuming commutes.
