Business Link hosted by Skanska enters CEE. Prague – the first step of expansion

12 March 2018

One of the fastest growing co-working chains has announced its entry into the Czech market. Business Link, hosted by Skanska, will open its first location in Prague in July of this year. At the Visionary office building located in Prague 7, the company will offer around 4,700 sqm of state of the art co-working space, including space for approx. 100 people, 159 private offices, and five conference rooms.

Over the next two years, Business Link will be opening nine new locations with a total area of 30,000-40,000 sqm in cities such as Budapest and Bucharest. With this expansion, we will be the largest Central European network of co-working spaces and private offices for rent. Business Link’s presence in our buildings supports Skanska’s comprehensive business proposition in a number of projects on the CEE market.

Jarosław Bator, Skanska Business Development Manager and Business Link COO

The Visionary office building is located in one of the most rapidly developing districts of Prague — Prague 7, Holešovice. The district is five minutes’ drive from the city centre and Visionary itself is situated in close proximity to one of the city's transport hubs. As the Visionary office building is well-served by metro, bus, tram, and train it will allow Business Link clients from all over Prague to easily reach the location.

Entering the Prague market is the beginning of the company’s foreign expansion. So far Business Link has been dynamically developing in the Polish market and now has 15 locations operating in the country. Recently, the company opened co-working offices in the Astoria building in Warsaw and in Skanska’s Maraton in Poznań. A new Business Link in the High5ive building will be opening in Kraków very soon.

Dariusz Żuk, Business Link CEO

Opening co-working space in A-class office buildings, which have mainly been occupied by global players till now, is an increasingly significant trend. Companies, especially business services centres, are demanding more flexible office spaces in their search for talent and acquisition of innovative start-ups, and require adaptable office setups and reduced real estate costs. Thanks to workplaces such as those provided by Business Link and Visionary, these companies can lease office space ad hoc without the necessity for traditional agreement clauses. The partnership between Skanska and Business Link offers tenants additional creative office spaces that are accessible 24/7 and can be leased on demand with an acceleration and mentoring package if needed. This arrangement also nurtures the growth of small enterprises as well as freelancers with global players being more accessible.

Other information:

Skanska, one of the biggest construction and development companies in the world, invested EUR 10 million in Business Link in April 2017. This investment is being deployed over time and subject to the fulfilment of mutually agreed business goals. Skanska is now supporting the expansion of the co-working chain in Central and Eastern Europe, where the company operates as a commercial developer on the region's ten largest markets.
Business Link not only creates spaces for rent but also supports companies at each stage of their development. Over the next few years, Business Link aims to become the largest Central and Eastern European community for entrepreneurs of the future.
Business Link’s offer is part of the current global trend of co-working 2.0. It is a comprehensive service involving creative and modern office spaces with relaxation zones, functional kitchenettes, silent workstations, and other recreational features such as climbing walls and saunas. Besides traditional co-working, the company's proposition also includes private offices for rent and conference rooms available 24/7, together with development acceleration programs for entrepreneurs.
Business Link’s clients include Uber, Brand24, Groupon.

Skanska

Skanska is one of the leading development and construction companies in Europe. Outside the Nordics the company has European operations in building construction and civil engineering in Poland, Czech Republic & Slovakia and UK. Skanska develops commercial properties in select home markets in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary, while the residential development is active in Prague and Warsaw. Skanska also offers services in public private partnerships. In 2017, Skanska had sales of SEK 37 billion and about 16,000 employees in its European operations.

More information can be found at: www.skanska.com/property

Business Link

Business Link consists of 15 co-working office complexes totaling 21 360 sqm of office space in 10 cities in Poland, thus creating the perfect conditions for development of modern businesses. One of the company’s numerous advantages is the round the clock accessibility of working space. Apart from the rudimentary office tools, the offices are also equipped in non-standard facilities, such as climbing walls, hammocks, massage sofas, and even saunas.

Presently, the company’s biggest office space is Business Link National Stadium in Warsaw totaling over 5 000 sqm on two stories. The prestigious location, easy access as well as an inspiring open space environment are the main criteria of choice of entrepreneurs that choose Business Link’s offices. For our clients, the rent they pay for our offices is also one of the key advantages. The minimum price of access to co-working space is PLN 500 per month.

More information to be found here: www.business.link