Pune: A strong demand for office space across sectors has galvanised Pune into one of the fastest-growing markets for co-working and flexible workspaces in the country.The demand was driven by IT, engineering, BFSI and GCCs, stated a report released by real estate agency Cushman and Wakefield. The report found that 20,900 flex seats were leased in the first half of the year — a 28% jump over the same period in 2025.The demand is especially strong in micro-markets like Baner, Vimannagar and Kharadi. According to a report by real estate agency JLL, flex operators have leased over 7 million sqft since 2024 — 30% of the overall leasing business in the city. Flexible working spaces now account for 15 million sqft, which JLL states makes Pune the third biggest market among the country’s top seven.“We expect the flex footprint to grow to over 20 million sqft over the next year,” said Rohan Sharma, senior director of research and REIS of JLL India.“It is now so easy to just start operations from a co-working space rather than setting up a full-fledged office,” said Nidhi Sharma, who runs an apparel startup at a co-working facility in Kharadi.Tarun Rathod, who runs a tech startup, said this was a more efficient and flexible option. He started out with three seats at a similar space in the area. His team now has six members and they lease a slightly larger space.For co-working space provider Awfis, Pune has moved from being a supporting market to a core one. “The West zone, anchored strongly by Pune and Mumbai, accounts for 34% of our business,” said Amit Ramani, chairman and managing director of Awfis. The company plans to add 22,000-25,000 seats across its network, and “Pune will be a meaningful part of that”.Pratyush Pandey, founder of AARE Consulting, said he expects Hinjewadi, Baner, Kharadi and Vimannagar, as well as other business hubs, to increasingly adopt this model. “The next wave of supply is likely to be more enterprise-oriented, with managed offices, customised solutions and larger floor plates gaining prominence,” he added.India’s top 7 cities collectively have 90-95 million sqft of coworking spaces. The number could reach 100 million sqft by the year-end and even touch 125 million sqft by next March, according to a report by Anarock Research. Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune are the strongest co-working markets currently, with Chennai and Noida witnessing healthy traction.Each flex seat costs between Rs 10,000 and Rs 35,000. This varies based on location and the type of services on offer, among other considerations.
