Helio to Open New Coworking Establishment in Stockholm’s Gate:01

Helio has revealed plans to open its eleventh establishment in the prominent Gate:01 building located in Frösundavik, Solna, by the summer of 2024. The center is set to be 2100m2 and Helio will be responsible for both the flexible office offering and all the services included for the tenants in the building.

This news is on the heels of Helio opening 3 new locations in the center of Stockholm during 2023, putting them in the running for one of the most expansive operators in the region.

Situated in the heart of the National City Park, Gate:01 stands out in the Nordic market due to its unique offerings. Once Helio's newest establishment is operational, members will have access to a myriad of amenities, from tennis and paddle tennis courts to kayaking and swimrun sessions during lunch breaks. This project is a continuation of Helio's collaboration with Mengus, a well-established private equity firm specializing in real estate. The two companies have a shared history, having worked on various projects since the early 2000s.

Hansi Danroth, the Founding Partner and Leasing Manager at Mengus, commented on the collaboration, highlighting Helio's market-leading position in coworking. Gate:01 has seen a rise in on-site occupants compared to pre-pandemic times, and Danroth believes that introducing a coworking space will enhance the building's accessibility to smaller companies and those with shorter planning horizons.

This new Helio facility is being co-designed with award-winning architects from CJ Studio. Once completed, Helio members at Gate:01 will enjoy the privilege of working from any Helio location in Malmö and Stockholm. They will also benefit from a comprehensive membership package that includes more than just workspace. From breakfast and lectures to yoga sessions and personal training, Helio aims to encompass health, design, and networking in their definition of a modern workplace. This holistic approach recently earned Helio the "Community of the Year" award among Sweden’s coworking operators.

Helios strategy to service buildings

Helio has in recent new openings deployed a tactic of activating common areas in commercial real estate buildings to not only cater to coworking clients but also help property owners provide additional value to classic tenants.

In practice Helio converts otherwise underutilized common areas to state of the art conference and lounge areas, increasing the value for everybody involved. This tactic makes Helio a more attractive tenant for landlords and allows for landlords to achieve additional value by welcoming a coworking operator, without the hassle of operating common areas themselves.

This is an interesting strategy that seems to be a natural development of coworking and it's place in the larger real estate ecosystem. For Helio, it's also an additional revenue source that probably comes with lower risk compared to the coworking space itself. It will be interesting to see if more operators follow suit.

This addition to Helio's portfolio puts them at roughly 19 000sqm of space in Stockholm including their other upcoming launches, and makes them the 5th largest operator by size. Helio reported revenue of 104msek in 2022 and a profit of 4.5msek.