After Davao success, Regus sets further Mindanao expansion
DAVAO CITY — Flexible workspace provider Regus is now looking at opening offices in other key cities in the Philippine’s south following the better-than-expected take-up in its first Mindanao branch in Davao.
“There’s Gensan (General Santos City), Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga and I’m ready,” Regus Philippines Country Manager Lars Wittig told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the Asia CEO Forum here on Feb. 28.
Occupancy at the Davao City office, launched in September 2016, is already at 80%, which was the target for the first two years of operations.
Regus Davao, which is in partnership with the Floirendoowned Damosa Land, Inc. (DLI), is the company’s biggest site in the country with 346 stations, 52 offices, and three conference rooms. It is located at the Topaz Tower within the Damosa IT Park.
Mr. Wittig said he is meeting with DLI Vice-President Ricardo “Cary” F. Lagdameo, with the Mindanao expansion “very high on the agenda.”
“I am so excited, If I got the opportunity and can do it in General Santos City, in Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, we will do it,” Mr. Wittig said.
“We have not foreseen this happening... but our obligation is to follow suit with the demand and the demand right now is to deliver,” he added.
Mr. Wittig said inquiries directed to their Davao office average 30 a month, a rate that has also been a major driver for considering an expansion elsewhere in Mindanao.
“When we decided in February last year together with Cary Lagdameo and Damosa Land to do this together, we never had one single inquiry from Davao. But we recognized that there is a need,” he said.
“Obviously that is a success story and makes us very proud about having seen this opportunity in Davao.” Regus’ Mr. Wittig said, has also become an “incubator” of sorts for their customers that are local small and medium enterprises by giving them the opportunity to expand and use the company’s network of offices. Regus has 25 centers nationwide, including 21 in Metro Manila, and about 3,000 worldwide.