IWG, the company behind coworking brands Regus and Spaces, is gearing up to drop 12 new coworking centers across Illinois after a year of record global growth. The expansion pushes the operator further beyond the Chicago metro into central Illinois, with at least one planned Regus at Peoria’s Twin Towers. It is the latest phase in a multi‑year buildout that has turned IWG into one of the biggest names in flexible office space.
Industry coverage first surfaced the 12‑location plan and flagged Peoria's Twin Towers as one of the targets, along with several Chicago‑area addresses. As reported by CoStar, the July 7 report laid out the city‑level lineup but did not lock in firm opening dates for most of the sites.
IWG’s growth engine keeps revving
IWG’s own investor materials show why Illinois is getting this fresh wave of openings. In its Q1 2026 trading update, the company reported hundreds of signings and openings in the quarter and said it ended the period with a sizable pipeline of rooms still to come. The company has also described the prior year as a record period for new centre openings, momentum it openly cites as support for further local signings. According to IWG, signings and openings accelerated in early 2026.
Illinois strategy keeps getting bigger
The new 12‑site push follows an already busy Illinois campaign. Industry reporting in October 2025 noted that IWG had added 22 centres across the state, significantly expanding its local footprint. ConnectCRE covered that rollout, and earlier coverage tracked a steady run of Chicagoland signings in 2023 and 2024 as the company leaned on franchise and managed agreements to grow. REBusinessOnline reported multiple new metro‑Chicago locations in 2024.
Why landlords are still picking flex
For building owners staring at underused space, IWG is pitching itself as a practical fix. Mark Dixon, the company’s CEO, told investors he was “delighted with our strong start to 2026” as openings and enterprise enquiries picked up, a line highlighted in the firm’s results communications. That upbeat tone is part of the sell to property owners: partner with a global operator, flip quiet square footage into flexible offices, and capture demand from hybrid teams that do not want traditional long leases. For more detail, the company points investors to its preliminary results and related statements. IWG
What this could mean for Illinois workers
For workers and small businesses, the growing map of IWG locations could translate into more satellite‑work options in both the suburbs and central Illinois, along with shorter commutes for people who only want occasional office time close to home. Independent coverage of the company’s recent results notes that IWG has been reporting revenue gains alongside network expansion, an economic backdrop that helps explain why landlords continue signing flexible‑workspace deals. AllWork and other financial press have also pointed out that the firm is pairing new openings with shareholder returns.
For now, the broad outline is clear but the fine print is still catching up. CoStar’s initial report offers a starting list of Illinois cities but leaves timing and lease structure unanswered, while IWG’s investor updates highlight a large national pipeline without a site‑by‑site calendar for the state. Expect local lease filings and landlord announcements to fill in exact addresses and opening dates as these 12 new locations move from signed deals to active build‑outs.
