{
  "id": 1400677,
  "title": "Why big businesses are going beyond renting properties",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/why-big-businesses-are-going-beyond-renting-properties",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-17T02:14:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/why-big-businesses-are-going-beyond-renting-properties/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A noticeable change is occurring in Nigeria's commercial real estate market as large corporations and businesses are moving beyond simply renting physical properties. They are actively choosing locations and facilities to better suit their operational needs. Industry experts attribute this shift to the growing acceptance of remote work, hybrid teams and co-working spaces, as organizations embrace flexibility to adapt in the post-pandemic world.\n\nAccording to Kamal Bashir, a real estate expert, co-working remains a viable solution for startups, project teams and businesses with short-term space needs. However, larger multinational companies are reevaluating the limitations of shared workspaces for long-term operations, particularly when security, branding, regulatory compliance and specialized infrastructure are priorities. As a result, they are seeking dedicated, demised workplaces tailored to their specific operational requirements instead of shared environments.\n\nResearch from global real estate firms like JLL and CBRE indicates that occupiers are placing increasing emphasis on factors beyond the physical structure, such as operational resilience, employee experience, technology, sustainability and speed of occupation. Rather than viewing office space solely as a property decision, many organizations now recognize it as a crucial contributor to productivity, talent attraction and business continuity.\n\nIn Abuja, this changing demand is evident, with firms like the World Trade Center (WTC) Abuja adopting the global trend. WTC Abuja offers professionally managed environments that support complex corporate operations, providing completed Grade A office accommodation along with resilient engineering systems, backup power, fiber-ready infrastructure, access control, professional facilities management and even executive residences. By offering bespoke workplace delivery services, WTC Abuja allows organizations to transition from lease execution to business operations more efficiently.\n\nAhmed Karim, Vice President of WTC Abuja, notes that conversations with occupiers have shifted from focusing on rental rates, parking and floorplates to emphasizing operational readiness, business continuity, technology, engineering resilience and speed of becoming fully operational. This reflects a broader change in what businesses value, as flexibility is evolving into redefined agility within dedicated workplaces that reflect their brand, protect their operations and allow for growth.\n\nProperty professionals believe that while the trend is unlikely to replace every flexible workspace model, it is reshaping expectations among larger occupiers by reducing execution risk and accelerating business readiness. As organizations reevaluate the total cost of occupancy, they are increasingly valuing integrated workplace solutions that streamline delivery and support long-term growth. In Nigeria's evolving commercial real estate market, developers capable of delivering dedicated, operationally ready environments are likely to play a significant role.",
  "summary": "There is currently a quiet but significant shift is in Nigeria’s commercial real estate market as multinationals and big businesses are gradually going beyond renting jut physical buildings but making conscious effort to also select the location and facilities available Industry experts believe that the future appears to belong to remote work, hybrid teams and […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}