WeWork, L.A. Chamber link for back-to-office push

WeWork is offering discounts for members of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce in an effort to pull more people back to its coworking spaces.

The company is offering reduced membership fees — up to 50 percent for three months, according to L.A. Business First. More than 1,400 companies are members of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce, according to its website.

The chamber has also enlisted WeWork to provide data on remote work in L.A.

WeWork has struck similar partnerships in 10 other cities, including in Boston, Seattle, Singapore and London. In London, in addition to the 50 percent for three months, WeWork is also offering discounts on private office space for up to 49 people, in an attempt to lure smaller companies who want to be in the office with some flexibility.

The discounts come as WeWork is still losing money — but it only lost $635 million in the second quarter, 31 percent less in the year-earlier period.

The company has also shed a number of its spaces across the country, including about 160,000 square feet in Midtown Manhattan. In Santa Monica, WeWork exited a pre-lease deal at the start of the pandemic to take up 26,000 square feet at 1305 2nd Street.

Last year, WeWork hired JLL to help market 350,000 square feet across four buildings in L.A. as part of an effort to fill millions of square feet of empty coworking space across the country. At the time, it was focused on scoring larger tenants that could provide long-term stability.

— Isabella Farr