Spaces, an Amsterdam-founded workspace company, is opening four new co-working locations in Ontario. The four new locations will bring the company’s total locations to 10 in Toronto, one in Ottawa, and 18 across Canada.
“The announcement of these locations shows Spaces’ commitment to opening in the most unique and desirable locations.”
– Wayne Berger
The locations will open in three buildings in Toronto’s east end, west end, and financial core, in addition to a first Ottawa location. The company is a direct challenge to shared workspace provider WeWork, which, this year, announced two leases in Toronto, two new spaces in Montréal, and an expansion of its Startup Passport program. Spaces is also a competitor to Breather, a Montréal-based startup which recently announced two private workspaces in Toronto.
“The announcement of these locations in three of Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods, as well as our first location in Ottawa, shows Spaces’ commitment to opening in the most unique and desirable locations,” said Wayne Berger, CEO of IWG Canada and Latin America, which owns Spaces. “The Spaces’ brand of creative co-working isn’t just about the flexibility and collaboration that happens inside the buildings, it’s about finding the most strategic locations, and the best buildings and communities to activate and establish vibrant working ecosystems.”
The first space to open in Ottawa will be located at 66 Slater Street, and will occupy 75,000 square feet, from the ground level to the sixth floor. Set to open in October, the Ottawa Spaces is located a stone’s throw from Confederation Park and Parliament Hill. Spaces aims to offer entrepreneurs, SMEs, and large corporations with a “European-designed” workspace that will feature collaborative areas, team rooms, dedicated desks, private offices, and meeting rooms. Spaces will also host a calendar of professional events to bring together occupants working in the location.
“Ottawa has been on the top of our list for a while now,” Berger said. “As Canada’s political epicentre and emerging technology hub, there’s a deep spirit of innovation and leadership in the city that we are excited to support and help elevate. Successful co-working requires a forward-thinking creative spirit, [and] Ottawa has those attributes.”
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The ShiftSpaces at 25 Ontario Street, will arrive in Toronto’s King Street East neighbourhood in 2022. Spaces will occupy over 105,000 square feet on six floors of the 24-storey LEED Gold office building. The location will feature a 2,200 square foot terrace for Spaces members, SMART building technology, and a dedicated stairwell for Spaces members from the main lobby.
The company’s new Bay Street location will occupy 50,000 square feet on three floors at 200 Bay Street, in Royal Bank Plaza. The new co-working location will offer occupants with collaborative areas, a café, and a balcony. Spaces Bay Street is expected to open in the fall of this year. Finally, JunctionSpaces will take four floors and over 40,000 square feet of a heritage building in the heart of The Junction, at 1655 Dupont Street, a building that is also home to Freshbooks. Spaces said the repurposed brick-and-beam building will also open in the fall.
Spaces currently holds 185 locations in 54 countries and 205 cities, and said it is opening 160 new locations this year. Spaces’ Canadian presence is currently confined to Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver, but will be opening a location in Kelowna, BC in August.
Image courtesy Spaces