Dive Brief:
- Hubble, a UK flexible office space marketplace, is launching in the U.S., giving businesses another option for searching, comparing and securing on-demand office space that avoids long-term lease commitments.
- The platform aggregates offices from large flex operators — including Regus, Spaces, WeWork, Industrious and IWG — and hundreds of other boutique providers, according to the company. A part of Yardi, Hubble has placed more than $4 million in rental contract value in New York City since October, the company said in a release.
- Following its experience in the New York office market, the company is accelerating its U.S. growth with a focus on small- and medium-sized businesses, the company says. Hubble is now offering its services in eight markets including New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and the wider Bay Area.
Dive Insight:
Coworking and flex spaces represent just 2.3% of U.S. office inventory, with only 3% of large enterprises using the space for more than 10% of their portfolios, according to JLL. Looking ahead, however, JLL projects 30% of office space “will be consumed flexibly” by 2030.
Halfway through 2026, U.S. coworking space is growing at a steady pace, up 2.7% in the second quarter to 9,400 locations, after a 3.2% uptick in Q1, according to a Coworking Cafe industry report.
The sector has primarily made inroads in large, established markets, which are growing their flex footprints both in the number and volume of space. Manhattan has the most extensive coworking footprint at 12.56 million square feet, followed by Chicago at 9.27 million square feet and Los Angeles at 7.51 million square feet.
More recently, the sector has started growing in secondary markets, where the space tends to be smaller, with fewer amenities, the Coworking Cafe report says.
“The broader takeaway is that U.S. coworking is settling into two distinct patterns,” Coworking Cafe says. “The largest markets continue to favor sizable, full-service spaces, while secondary and tertiary markets are growing through leaner, community-minded offices that fit tighter stocks of local commercial real estate.”
Looking ahead, organizations’ focus on hybrid work arrangements will play into the strengths of flex space, according to CBRE. For the third consecutive year, the majority of organizations plan to maintain or expand their space over the next three years. Hybrid work is “here to stay,” CBRE says in its 2026 Americas Office Occupier Sentiment survey, released late July.
Whether they’re large, medium or small, flexibility has become a defining priority for occupiers as they navigate economic uncertainty, shifting utilization patterns and the unknown impacts of AI, the CBRE report says. In fact, CBRE says, flex space has become a mainstream portfolio strategy, with most organizations preferring to incorporate flex space to manage uncertain demand, enter new markets and preserve capital.
Just 16% of occupiers reported not having a flex strategy, down from 24% in 2025, according to the CBRE survey.
Hubble’s marketplace approach fits well into this dynamic, according to Tushar Agarwal, Hubble CEO. The marketplace is open to any operator with flexible product, including large providers and independent operators, who hold 77% of U.S. coworking and flexible workspace inventory, Agarwal told Facilities Dive in an email. Landlords can also join by packaging floors as managed, move-in-ready suites, he said.
In addition to aggregating flexible office space, Hubble pairs online searches with dedicated advisors who handle shortlisting, viewings and negotiation at no cost, according to the company. Listing is free and the company only earns commission when they place a customer, Agarwal said.
“Companies get the speed and choice of a marketplace with the hands-on guidance of a broker, without the commitment of a traditional lease,” Hubble said.
Hubble says being a part of Yardi, the majority owner of WeWork, gives it additional reach on both the supply and demand sides of the flex office market. It currently has 10,000 office units across 700 buildings in the eight markets it announced, with plans to expand to 10 more cities by the end of the year, it said in the release.
“Both SMBs and corporates need offices again. What they don't need is a ten-year lease. Flex space is furnished and ready in days at one monthly price with no capex, which CBRE found is the top reason occupiers choose it,” Agarwal said. “And with hybrid working and AI making headcount hard to predict even a year out, the C-suite won't underwrite long commitments, with office space typically being the second highest fixed cost for businesses.”
