#85 Thanks to Management Agreements We Grew to 12 Locations in 3 Years

In this episode, Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe, speaks with Rafał Pisklewicz, founder of The Shire – Beyond Coworking, about how landlord partnerships and management agreements have helped the Polish flex operator grow to 12 locations and more than 24,000 sqm in just three years.

More than half of The Shire’s portfolio now operates under management agreements based on income sharing and close cooperation with landlords.

Rafał explains that the model starts with trust, transparency and a clear understanding of the landlord’s economics. His own background in asset management and leasing has helped The Shire build partnerships around a simple objective: make vacant office space productive and profitable for both sides.

The conversation also explores why flex operators can help landlords capture demand from smaller occupiers that would otherwise be difficult to accommodate in traditional office buildings.

In this episode:

How The Shire grew to 12 locations in three years Why more than half of its portfolio is based on management agreements How successful first partnerships helped attract more landlords Why trust and transparency are critical to operator-landlord relationships How flex can activate vacant office space Why profit sharing can align the interests of landlords and operators How flex operators can help landlords serve smaller occupiers Why partnership models differ between Warsaw and regional Polish markets How The Shire approaches management agreements, joint ventures and other cooperation models

For Rafał, there is no single formula that works for every property. The objective is to find a partnership structure that works for both parties — and ultimately makes the space perform.

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Rafał Pisklewicz will join Coworking Europe 2026 in Paris to share more about The Shire’s growth and its approach to landlord partnerships.

🎙️ Hosted by Jean-Yves Huwart, founder of Coworking Europe.