Hong Kong co-working space too crowded, some operators may pull back in 2019, Savills says
- Co-working space operators currently occupy about 2.16 million sq ft cross the city
Hong Kong has too many co-working spaces following rapid expansion in the sector, and some operators will withdraw from what has become a highly competitive market, industry analysts say.
“There were too many operators coming to the city, all of a sudden,” said Ricky Lau, deputy managing director and head of office leasing at Savills Hong Kong.
The global real estate services company believes 2019 will witness some pull back from the co-working concept. “It is still a bit too fast for Hong Kong, which is not particularly a haven for entrepreneurs and technology start-ups, which are regarded as the source of major demand for flexible office spaces,” he said.
Kr Space, one of China’s biggest co-working space operators, cancelled a five-year lease for seven floors at Chinachem’s One Hennessy building in Wan Chai recently, highlighted Hong Kong’s tough operating environment. Chinachem is suing Kr Space for HK$500.9 million (US$63.8 million) for breach of contract.
Funding, from the likes of venture capitalists, too has dried up. Kr Space’s last capital injection, of US$92 million, came in January 2018. SoftBank announced US$2 billion in funding for WeWork in January, which was much smaller than expected by the market.
“It is a bit more difficult to make money from this business model than investors and operators thought, and now we see funders showing less interest in the sector. Although, they are not backing off totally,” said Lau.“[Co-working’s] money-burning model needs at least another few years for it to be profitable in Hong Kong.