Regus Excited by Growth Opportunities in Serbia's Buoyant Economy

BELGRADE, Serbia, February 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Businesses to Benefit From Dynamic Expansion of Regus Network into New Markets

Global workspace provider Regus has opened up new growth opportunities for business in Serbia by opening its first centre there. The new business centre, in Belgrade, increases the support and location choice available to companies looking to do business in Eastern Europe. It brings the total of countries in Regus' network to 86.

Mark Dixon, Global CEO, Regus plc comments: "A number of factors - from higher-than-expected GDP growth, to the application for EU membership, to the government's commitment to attracting foreign investment - are giving rise to good levels of business optimism in Serbia. Companies are keen to set up or expand their presence there, leading to increasing demand for our flexible workspace solutions in Serbia."

The launch of the new Regus centre in Belgrade is in direct response to that increasing demand. It will offer valuable support to local and international companies in Serbia - whether they are already doing business in the region or wish to explore the possibilities there.

Several factors make Serbia attractive to companies looking for new revenue opportunities:

    
    - economy grew by 1.8-2% in 2010, aided by export growth[1];

    - Serbia is a candidate for EU membership, and already has interim trade
      and visa facilitation agreements in place;

    - government is firmly committed to attracting and facilitating foreign
      investment; and,

    - economy is diversified, with key industries including sugar,
      agricultural and transportation equipment, paper, agriculture and 
      livestock, and electrical equipment.

According to Dixon, "With the developed economies of most of Western Europe and the US producing negative or minimal growth in recent years, businesses need to generate revenues from new sources - from Europe's emerging economies, as well as Africa and Asia.

"As companies look at these new markets, we're seeing demand for our flexible workspace products and services in more and more countries. In response to this, we've expanded our network rapidly in recent months - not just into Serbia, but also into, Ghana, Lithuania and Oman to name just a few. As the world of work becomes ever more integrated and mobile, and companies more agile, we expect demand for our services to continue to grow in 2011 and beyond, and we will expand our network accordingly."

Notes to Editors

About the Regus centre in Belgrade

The first Regus centre in Serbia is in Belgrade's New Town district, at the GTC 19th Avenue business complex, one of the most sought-after locations in the Serbian capital. The complex, on the north-west bank of the river Sava, houses class A office space, restaurants and cafes, shops, and is easily accessible by road and public transport.

Facilities at the business centre include 30 ready-to-use offices, fully-equipped meeting and interview rooms, a state-of-the-art videoconferencing studio, and high-speed secure internet access. There is also administrative support from on-site multilingual professional staff.

About Regus

Regus is the world's largest provider of workplace solutions, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world's largest network of video communication studios. Regus enables people to work their way, whether it's from home, on the road or from an office. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.

Over 800,000 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,100 locations in 500 cities and 85 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: http://www.regus.com

To download a copy of the full report please visit http://www.regus.presscentre.com

[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-02/serbia-s-economy-grew-at-lea st-1-8-in-2010-tanjug-reports.html

SOURCE Regus