Skanska invests in Business Link for eastern Europe co-working 
Construction contractor Skanska is to invest €10m in Business Link, Poland’s largest co-working space provider, to fund expansion in central and eastern Europe. The co-working and private office network will be the largest of its kind in Europe, with 12 new locations and a total of 45,000 to 50,000 sq metres of office space planned for the next few years.
Business Link and Skanska will co-create in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) an innovative ecosystem for start-up companies, small and medium enterprises, and companies from the business services sector. The developer has decided to invest in Business Link – the largest network of co-working space and private offices in Poland. With Business Link’s planned international expansion, the company will become the biggest network of its kind in Europe and second in the world. As a result, Skanska will be in a position to create the most comprehensive commercial office proposition for a wide range of businesses on the CEE market.

Over the next few years, Business Link will create approximately 12 new locations in CEE, totaling approximately 45,000-50,000 m². The investment of up to €10m will be spread over time and will depend on fulfilling previously mutually agreed business goals. This is an investment in a stable and reliable company which thanks to the partnership with Skanska has the chance to become a giant on the international market.

Claes Larsson, Executive Vice President at Skanska Group, responsible for commercial development business globally said: "This is a strategic move from Skanska in terms of building our business proposition in the CEE region. As the biggest building and developer company in this part of Europe, we take into account all the dynamic changes in the real estate market and do our best to promptly respond to the latest trends. Business Link’s offer is the perfect answer to a growing need for flexible space in corporate portfolios that we observe in our key client’s real estate strategies, especially from the business services sector"

Skanska and Business Link’s cooperation is an example of a sustainable approach to business. The developer, as an equal partner, is not taking over the start-up company but investing in its development.

Dariusz Żuk, co-founder and CEO at Business Link said: "This is the first significant involvement of an international corporation in creating such a start-up environment in Europe. Thanks to this investment, Business Link will strengthen its leading position in Poland and will become the biggest player on the market of modern co-working office space in Europe. Moreover, as a result of the expansion planned in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary, we have the chance to become number two on the global market. This provides us with even greater possibilities to contribute to the development of entrepreneurship in Poland and the CEE region"