Developers urged to consider shifting demand for office spaces in Cebu

With the growing demand for office spaces for English tutorial centers, Colliers International is asking developers to invest on flexible office cuts. /CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines–Colliers International said there is a need for Cebu developers to consider the growing demand for office spaces from English tutorial centers.

Colliers also urged developers to always chose strategic locations for their office projects.

“We encourage them to have flexible office cuts to English language centers,” said Colliers International, a real estate services and investment management firm, in its report.

The firm sees the emergence of English as a second language (ESL) companies as a key driver of office space demand in Cebu City.

Colliers projected a continued expansion of existing ESL centers as well as entry of new players.

“We encourage developers to assess the office space requirements of these firms,” the company said.

Colliers explained that most ESLs initially require smaller office cuts and then occupy larger space as they expand.

ESL companies already operating in Cebu include QQ English , New type International Language School, TOMAS English Training Center, Access E-talk Plus Inc., Winky Online English Academy and Nexseed.

Collier, however, said that outsourcing and offshore gaming companies would continue to account for the bulk of office space demand for Cebu.

“Moving forward, we still see outsourcing companies such as call centers and offshore gaming firms driving office space demand in the Metro, ” Collier explained.

The investment management firm noted that Mactan would remain as a hub for offshore gaming operations. But the expansion of these firms will spill over to Mandaue City, which has recently allowed offshore gaming firms to operate in the area. /dcb