Rayon: local coworking to revitalize bedroom communities

What issues prompted the Rayon project?

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Minimize travel time to work

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People living on the outskirts of Paris, and whose offices are in Paris itself, feel penalized by these journey times.

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Rayon offers an intermediate alternative between the office and home-based telecommuting. This new player focuses on local coworking, with fully-equipped offices just down the street.

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The company was created around 4 challenges:

• reduce commuting times;
• work in good conditions thanks to quality equipment;
• separating professional and personal life;
• break the solitude of working from home.

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Rayon's solution is a fully-equipped workspace close to home, in a friendly atmosphere.

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Local coworking to revitalize bedroom communities on the outskirts of Paris

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Some towns in the Paris region became deserted. Shops closed down because residents went to Paris to work, and only returned home in the evening to sleep. The result was a lack of consumer activity in these residential areas.

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Rayon's aim was to revitalize local commerce in these towns on the outskirts of Paris, and to facilitate the management of transport flows by providing local workspaces. To support the development of local work, Rayon is backed by the Banque des Territoires. 

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This new local coworking model is a godsend for the dormitory towns of the Paris region. Rayon will boost the dynamism and attractiveness of areas on the outskirts of Paris. 

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What is the added value of Rayon's workspaces?

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Rayon offers workspaces of around ^150m2, designed to accommodate between 20 and 30 workstations, close to employees' homes. Each space is equipped with phone boxes for seclusion, or meeting rooms for hosting clients. Rayon has a network of 9 workspaces around Paris.

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These high-quality workspaces are a genuine alternative to on-site work and home-based telecommuting. They offer a friendly, fully-equipped office environment, without having to leave the city. Teleworkers benefit from a fully-equipped office (double screen, ergonomic furniture, phone box, etc.) for optimal working conditions.

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Users can choose a shared workspace alongside other professionals, encouraging collaboration and social interaction. As an added bonus, they can return home for lunch if they wish.

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Rayon's solution: local coworking

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The aim is to offer extended opening hours (until 11 p.m., including holidays and weekends) in a high-quality space where you can feel at home. To book, 3 types of subscription are available:

• 5 days a month ;
• 7 days a month ;
• unlimited.

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Currently, Rayon's customer base consists mainly of : 

• grandes entreprises utilisant leur service via l’application Worklib ;
• VSE/SMEs with 4 to 8 jobs, located in areas where this value proposition does not exist;
• self-employed workers wishing to work away from home.

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Rayon is actively expanding its network throughout the Paris region, to provide practical solutions on the outskirts.

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What about the carbon footprint of the commute?

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In the context of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), reducing the carbon footprint of the daily commute to and from work is a major concern. 

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Around 40% of employees who commute to Paris do so by car, thus contributing to CO2 emissions. In other conurbations, such as Marseille, public transport to the outskirts is less developed. To address these two issues, Rayon's long-term ambition is to develop workspaces outside major cities, throughout France.

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The company also plans to expand its footprint through partnerships, and to work with real estate companies with properties that they are unable to rent.

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For Rayon, the challenge is to bring workers together by location and not just by skill. Thanks to an in-house architect and various partnerships, Rayon is now able to open new spaces in just 3/4 months, depending on demand. Want to try out local coworking?

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