UK supermarket Tesco to rent in-store office space

LONDON — Britain's "largest" retailer Tesco said on Thursday that it will rent out office space inside its supermarket stores amid continued demand for hybrid working, which boomed during the pandemic.

Tesco has partnered with Swiss-based International Workplace Group (IWG) to convert "excess space" at stores into "office space designed for hybrid working", it said in a statement.

Office staff were forced to work remotely during the pandemic and many have since adopted hybrid or flexible work patterns, despite UK government calls to return to workplaces.

The group will open its first hybrid workspace at a Tesco Extra branch in New Malden, southwest London.

The area will be fitted with 12 open desks, 30 co-working spaces and a meeting room.

"We are pleased to be working with IWG to offer customers the chance to work more flexibly," added Louise Goodland, head of strategic partnerships at Tesco. 

The tie-up is part of IWG's plans to add 1,000 new locations to its global network this year.