NEW YORK CITY—There are more than 300 serviced office locations in Manhattan alone, and globally on a daily basis, three new flexible space offices open every day, according to Michelle Bodick, managing director, sales and marketing (Americas) of the Instant Group, an international workspace consultancy.

In a GlobeSt.com interview, Bodick cited a JLL report that notes although flexible space currently accounts for less than 5% of the current national office inventory, this figure could rise to 30% in 2030 due to tenants' demands. The report also states in 2017 flexible office space grew three-fold to 3.1% in terms of the annual US office leasing activity, compared to two years ago when it was at 1.3%.

2017 marked a significant year for the flexible workspace industry. WeWork's purchase of Lord & Taylor's Fifth Avenue flagship store to relocate its headquarters jolted brick-and-mortar retail with its statement of disruption. WeWork increased its space at its Midtown office at 575 Fifth Ave. It won a $4.4 billion investment from SoftBank, while WeWork India received $15.6 million from the Embassy Group.