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Scale-up Interview with Vincent Huguet, Co-CEO and Co-founder of Malt

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Scale-up Interview with Juliette Lévy, Founder and CEO of Oh My Cream.

Welcome to this new episode of Scale Up, the interview with a dynamic leader, by Factory!

The Scale Up interview aims to explore the connection between real estate strategy and the hyper-growth of a company, and to reflect on how new ways of working impact offices, through discussions between leaders.

On the mic with Nicolas Micallef is Vincent Huguet, Founder of Malt, the leading freelancing company in Europe, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary!

In this interview, Vincent looks back on Malt's history, the opportunity he seized without realizing he could aim for a billion in revenue in 2024, his vision of the company, and more broadly, the evolution of the world of work.

In detail:
- 00:00 – The genesis of Malt's story
- 03:35 – Malt's innovation: a coworking space dedicated to freelancers
- 04:16 – The hybrid mode: adapting to different work logics to retain talent
- 07:02 – Rethinking meeting rooms
- 07:50 – Between international expansion and AI, Malt's future projects

In just ten minutes, you'll understand why integrating real estate into your company's strategy is key to moving fast and far!

INTERVIEW SCALE UP BY FACTORY avec Vincent Huguet, Fondateur et CEO de MALT

The Future at Work with MALT // A conversation between Alexandre Fretti, Co-CEO of Malt, and Jules Dubois, Co-Founder of Factory

A new headquarters? But for what purpose...

Welcome to the episode of The Future at Work dedicated to Malt's brand-new HQ. And how offices can contribute to a company's development beyond real estate matters!

In conversation with Jules Dubois, Co-Founder of Factory, is Alexandre Fretti, Co-CEO of Malt, the leading freelancing company in Europe.

In this interview, Alexandre discusses the significance of this new headquarters for Malt in the context of pursuing its overall strategy, as they've just celebrated their 10th anniversary. He explains their challenges and expectations in making this new location not only a fantastic working tool but also a tool serving the company culture, team creativity, and Malt's brand presence within its ecosystem.

In detail:
- 00:00 – The maturity of the headquarters
- 01:15 – The office as an enhanced working tool
- 02:02 – The importance of office dining
- 02:55 – Embodying company culture in the space
- 04:17 – Individual expectations versus collective message
- 05:12 – The office as a marketing asset

INTERVIEW SCALE UP BY FACTORY avec Alexandre Fretti, Co-CEO de MALT

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Interview Scale Up by Factory with Alexandre Fretti, Co-CEO of MALT

Awards

We are thrilled and extremely proud to be featured, for the third consecutive time, in the 2024 ranking of the top 1000 European growth champions, following the study conducted by the Financial Times in collaboration with Statista.

A big thank you to the Facto Gang, which continues to enrich itself with new talents, complementary expertise, and positive energy, because it is thanks to all of you that we can celebrate:
- A 278% Absolute Growth Rate
- The creation of 30 positions between 2019 and 2022

Our placement at 6th position in the real estate sector in France.

The ranking can be discovered on the **[Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/ft1000-2024)** website - Article published on March 1, 2024.

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Financial Times: Factory, in the Financial Times' 2024 ranking of Europe's Fastest Growing Companies.

Studies

From school to the workplace, welcome to the office-campus!

Spaces that are now strongly present in corporate offices and/or office complexes: the office-campus. Indeed, in a time when the world of work is rapidly evolving, office-campuses emerge as an alternative to traditional workspaces. This resurgence comes at a moment when the traditional role of offices in the lives of employees and the functioning of companies is being questioned. It aligns with a constant search for solutions to enhance employee well-being, foster creativity, and continue to evolve both the company and its workforce.

If I tell you: space to work, meet, conduct research, a library, a restaurant, spaces for sports – what do you see? Your offices? No! It's the definition of a university campus.

In the latest Great Place To Work report (2023), the factors that enhance employee retention are highlighted: meaningful work, work that one is proud of, and a pleasant, even fun, working environment. (1) This raises significant questions for decision-makers: How to design workspaces that foster creativity while preserving the work-life balance of employees? How to rethink the work environment to align with the new expectations of employees? Which spaces to choose to transform my offices into innovative and learning environments?

Indeed, office-campuses represent much more than just a workspace: they embody a philosophy that merges the professional and personal aspects of daily life. These spaces stand out with their design open to nature, incorporating work and relaxation areas, and even sports or cultural facilities! Emphasizing flexibility, they also aim to create an environment conducive to collaboration and innovation while providing employees with tools for continuous development throughout their careers.
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Office-campuses strengthen team cohesion, facilitate innovation, and enhance talent retention. By reimagining the work environment, companies can attract diverse profiles and anticipate future recruitment needs: the name 'office-campus' is not chosen arbitrarily.

The ingredients that turn an office-campus into an asset for your future spaces.

They draw inspiration from the best universities to create the dream spaces for future new employees, aligning with the latest trends from hospitality or third places like Yale University or Fuzhou University in China. Interestingly, students and young talents have similar expectations for both universities and offices, as cited by The Conversation: 'For students, campuses and offices must become places for living and socializing.' (8)
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The favorite spaces for French employees are the coffee corner, green spaces, and social areas. Workspaces like pods, meeting rooms, or areas dedicated to creativity rank lower in preference (Actineo, 2023). These spaces play a central role in the design of office-campuses.

Some inspiring examples:

100,000 square meters of offices, surrounded by nature, 'The grass is mowed only once a year, and animals have complete freedom to roam, while local plants are free to grow.' With all the spaces to turn these offices into a true innovation hub: The ground floor houses cafeteria spaces, meeting rooms, and individual booths. 

The entire layout follows a color code for easy navigation by zone (named after elements of nature in one building, animals in another), space function (gray for laboratories, black for restrooms, blue for elevators...), and a street order for easier orientation.

The most iconic example of office-campus is the Googleplex.

The rooms are then named in alphabetical order from North to South. _(2)_ In more detail, in these office-campuses, employees enjoy a more relaxed and inclusive atmosphere, fostering the exchange of ideas and creativity.

The benefits in terms of mental health and productivity are increasingly highlighted. Mentioned in an article by My Happy Job (2022), the campus office of Manutan is an excellent example: in the offices on this corporate campus, employees have access to a sports center, fitness rooms, multi-sports areas, climbing facilities, and two squash courts on the ground floor of the training center.

The office-campuses thus encourage a healthy balance between professional and personal life, featuring recreational facilities and relaxation spaces.

A third building also houses a media library where employees can borrow documents, creating a downtown-like atmosphere. The company restaurant, organized by Manutan for its 700 employees, 'without subcontractors, emphasizes local supply chains and producers from Val d'Oise, offering 80% organic options.' (3)

### Let's not forget that office-campuses also have a significant impact on the geographical environment in which they operate.

By choosing strategic locations close to city centers, they contribute to economic development and encourage local commerce and community life. These new economic hubs are supported by investments in the development of new surrounding housing. (4)

While office-campuses may not be the physical solution for everyone—since not all companies require several thousand square meters—their design and flexibility offer interesting insights for the future of workspaces: adaptability and customization, consideration of the balance between work, personal life, and an empowering professional environment.

"Booking has played the card of diversity and travel for its new campus in Amsterdam."

Booking has played the diversity and travel card for its new campus in Amsterdam. Beyond the escapade, the focus has been on satisfying employees' needs from their arrival to the end of their workday, not forgetting break times.(5)

### Office-campuses can also be a better economic investment for companies: lower rents outside of Paris or La Défense.

The future will likely be written in regions, acknowledging the structural loss of attractiveness of the capital. This is already evident in population and employment flows generally unfavorable to the capital, along with significant strategic moves by client companies in major metropolitan areas. Finally, the future of office real estate will also involve renovation or conversion projects: repositioning (coworking spaces...) or other uses (housing, coliving...)." (9)

Even if you don't want to move far from the towers, drawing inspiration from office-campuses is a great solution to envision your future spaces! The resurgence of these concepts in discussions provides an opportunity to rethink the relationship between space and profession, shaping the future of offices towards a more flexible, inclusive approach, tailored to the changing needs of employees and future talents in a market with intense competition for recruiting the best.

And what if you switched to the office-campus?

However, caution is needed not to make office-campuses the alpha and omega of employees' daily lives. Living too much at the workplace affects the balance between professional and personal life, with difficulties already reported by 52% of female executives compared to 41% of men (Apec, 2023).

### **[Contact us to discuss your campus-inspired offices!](/en/contact)**

- _(1)_ : https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/reports/employee-retention-strategies 
- _(2)_ : https://www.bfmtv.com/tech/google/on-a-visite-le-nouveau-campus-de-google-a-mountain-view_AV-202305150386.html 
- _(3)_ : https://www.myhappyjob.fr/bureaux-le-boom-des-campus-dentreprises/ 
- _(4)_ : https://immobilier.lefigaro.fr/article/decouvrez-les-soho-ces-bureaux-directement-relies-a-des-logements_5bc898d6-a9b2-11eb-aa69-bb581e95d794/
- _(5)_ : https://workplacemagazine.fr/dans-le-bureaux-de/22673/voyage-en-terre-hollandaise
- _(6)_ : https://www.xerfi.com/presentationetude/enquete-sur-les-nouvelles-tendances-de-l-immobilier-de-bureaux_BAT67
- _(7)_ : https://rh.newstank.fr/article/view/281091/conciliation-vie-pro-vie-perso-difficultes-52-femmes-cadres-vs-41-hommes.html 
- _(8)_ : https://theconversation.com/pour-les-etudiants-les-campus-et-les-bureaux-doivent-devenir-des-lieux-de-vie-et-de-rencontres-199125 
- _(9)_ : https://workplacemagazine.fr/immobilier/22885/l-immobilier-de-bureaux-a-l-heure-de-la-decro

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From school to the workplace, welcome to the campus offices! The perspective of Adrien Pouillot, Strategic Planner at Factory.

### Welcome to this new episode of Scale Up, the interview of a leader in motion, by Factory.

The Scale Up interview aims to trace the link between real estate strategy and the hyper-growth of a company and to reflect among leaders on how new ways of working impact offices.

At the microphone of Nicolas Micallef, Juliette Levy, Founder and CEO of [Oh My Cream](/projects/oh-my-cream), the clean beauty concept store that revolutionized the cosmetics sector and just celebrated its 10th anniversary!

In this interview, Juliette talks about her real estate strategy and the importance of embodying her brand DNA even in her offices. She also traces her journey as an entrepreneur, her vision for the future, and the essential role played by her investors, Eutopia and Experienced Capital to name a few. Finally, she explains how new ways of working have shaped her offices to make them the best tools for development and recruitment.

In detail:
- 00:00 – The challenges of real estate search
- 03:18 – The office as an extension of the brand experience
- 04:18 – The early days of the Oh My Cream adventure
- 06:06 – Oh My Cream's growth strategy
- 07:06 – The role of investors
- 08:30 – User experience in offices
- 09:48 – The office as a tool for performance and recruitment

In ten minutes, you will understand why integrating the real estate dimension into your business strategy is key to moving fast and far!

INTERVIEW SCALE UP BY FACTORY avec Juliette LEVY, Fondatrice et CEO de OH MY CREAM

## Breaking news: Factory, champion of hyper-growth (again)!

We are thrilled and incredibly proud to be featured, for the third consecutive time, in the 2024 ranking of the 500 growth champions, following the study conducted by Les Echos with Statista.

A big thank you to the Gang Facto, which continues to enrich itself with new talents, complementary expertise, and positive energy because it's thanks to all of you that we can celebrate:
- An increase in our turnover by 277.96% in 3 years
- The creation of 15 positions planned for the year 2024
- Our ranking at the 6th place in the real estate sector

### Keep pushing!

A big thank you also (and especially!) to our clients, from the Frenchtech or elsewhere, who trust us, involve us in their adventure, and also contribute to the growth of our economy. Owkin, Zenchef, Electra, DocCity, Oh My Cream!, Malt, Photoroom, Mayoly Spindler, to name just a few, a big thank you for your trust!

The link to the ranking on the **[Les Echos website](https://www.lesechos.fr/weekend/business-story/les-champions-de-la-croissance-2024-dans-limmobilier-2075272)**.

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Factory in les Echos.

Welcome to this new episode of Scale Up, the interview with a CEO on the move!

On the microphone with Nicolas Micallef is Gilles Satgé, Founder & CEO of Lucca.

The Scale Up interview aims to explore the connection between a company's real estate strategy and hypergrowth, and, on the other hand, to engage in discussions among CEOs about the quest for the Future At Work.

Key topics:
00:00 - The connection between Lucca's growth and real estate strategy.
01:55 - Neither Gray, Nor Ugly, Nor Sad: a tagline, a promise, a philosophy, a mindset.
03:25 - Gilles Satgé's vision of the "Future at Work."
05:30 - The Grand Oral, the essential ritual for recruiting the best talents.
08:30 - The "slide" moment: the history of Lucca in pictures.

A company that has incorporated the real estate dimension into its strategy is a company in motion. A company that has chosen Factory to assist it is a company oriented towards its future.

INTERVIEW SCALE UP BY FACTORY avec Gilles SATGÉ, Fondateur et CEO de Lucca

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Scale Up interview with Gilles Satgé, Founder & CEO of Lucca

## In a rapidly changing world, the debate on the configuration of workspaces has never been hotter.

In recent years, figures like Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Bloomberg, and Reed Hastings have abandoned private offices in favor of open workspace, sitting among their employees. Conversely, following the return to the office post-COVID in 2021, 63% of French employees expressed a desire for individual closed offices.

The organization of our offices, whether they are open or closed, close to employees or managers or not, has been the subject of heated discussions both within companies and in the mainstream media.

Even in 2023, Les Echos had the headline 'The end of closed offices for managers: good or bad news?'

## The Evolving Landscape of Workspaces

As companies reduce their real estate footprint and rethink office layouts to adapt to the future of work, which is increasingly focused on collaboration and remote work, they are also eliminating private offices for both employees and senior executives.

However, this doesn't mean that all managers want to share the same workspace as their employees. According to Franck Pétel, a researcher at ESSEC, "Many companies still value separate offices for their managers."

This tension raises numerous questions, both for companies and the world of work in general:
- What do employees, managers, and executives really want?
- What are the operational implications?
- What are the limits of this transition from closed spaces to open spaces?

The rise of remote work since 2020 has been widely embraced by many employees, leading some companies to consider hybrid or fully remote work models to save on real estate costs. However, preferences vary by generation, professional categories, and geographic locations.

Employee Expectations vs. Managers: The Battle for Spaces.

Young professionals and executives are more inclined to continue remote work, while the majority of employees still prefer traditional offices with assigned desks. This preference is driven by the need for social interactions, informal collaboration, and a separation between work and personal life.

The sanitization of the workplace has emerged as a strong demand, according to a study conducted by the ESSEC Workplace Management chair. 63% of surveyed employees prefer working in individual closed offices compared to 5% in open spaces. Two-thirds of employees, or 63%, now want individual closed offices, and 16% are in favor of shared closed offices. This is akin to a mini open space, at a human scale.

Simultaneously, hierarchical compartmentalization is being questioned, as evidenced by the example of HSBC, where senior executives will no longer work in closed offices but in open spaces. CEO Noel Quinn explains that this decision stems from the desire to foster informal interactions with colleagues and adapt to employees' new preferences for flexibility. This trend toward unassigned offices is on the rise, driven by the widespread adoption of remote work, aiming to reduce costs by providing fewer desks than there are employees. However, the issue of privacy remains.

To make this system work and for managers to "be willing to give up square footage for the benefit of others," the space must meet the needs of everyone, emphasizes Charles Bourdeaux. In other words, "there should be phone booths for privacy or making a call, small rooms for discussions with three or four people, larger spaces for exchanges with around ten people…"

Open offices present significant challenges for workers, according to the INRS, with 53% of open office employees finding the noise level too disruptive for their work. The reduction of personal space, along with increased office density, leads to issues such as lack of privacy, excessive noise, decreased productivity, and increased stress levels. Studies have even shown that open office workers are twice as likely to take sick leave compared to those in closed offices.

And for tomorrow, will everyone be on the same page?

The 3 components of the office of tomorrow: 
- Being able to isolate oneself to focus in suitable spaces (42%)
- Encouraging teamwork and collaboration (32%)
- Promoting well-being: hygiene (33%), nature (32%), and rest (22%)

Beyond the market's shift towards increasingly flexible spaces: What if we gave employees and managers the option to have more hybrid spaces, both closed and open, for isolation, collaboration, and work in suitable environments?

### Beyond the impact of open/closed offices on the daily lives of employees, managers, and leadership, what if the major challenge is the distance they can have from one another?

The symbol of a closed office is less significant than the real distance between teams, as shown in the study by Olivier Godechot, Director of the CNRS at CRIS (Center for Research on Social Inequalities).

Socioeconomic "segregation" at work is increasing in many countries. This is manifested by a growing concentration of higher-paid employees in a limited number of establishments, distancing them from their lower-earning colleagues. The main factors contributing to this segregation are deindustrialization, corporate restructuring, and digitization. This trend could have repercussions on social cohesion and raises questions about fairness at work and the impact of reforms on inequality.

Therefore, it is crucial to consider all these distance dynamics when designing workspaces to improve working conditions, reduce economic disparities, and promote social cohesion.

_Adrien Pouillot, Strategic Planner, Factory._

Adrien Pouillot, Strategic planner, Factory

Sources (Articles in French) : 
- https://start.lesechos.fr/travailler-mieux/vie-entreprise/la-fin-du-bureau-ferme-pour-les-managers-bonne-ou-mauvaise-nouvelle-1915388 
- https://fortune.com/2022/09/22/corner-office-disappearing-real-estate-office-design-executive-workspaces/ 
- https://www.capital.fr/votre-carriere/open-space-flex-office-ces-modes-de-travail-dont-les-salaries-ne-veulent-plus-1407640
- https://theconversation.com/teletravail-et-bureau-post-covid-quelle-nouvelle-donne-154440
- https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/emploi/retour-en-entreprise-les-salaries-francais-veulent-des-bureaux-individuels-et-rejettent-le-flex-office_AV-202106260028.html 
-  https://start.lesechos.fr/travailler-mieux/vie-entreprise/la-fin-du-bureau-ferme-pour-les-managers-bonne-ou-mauvaise-nouvelle-1915388 

The Return of the Closed Office? Adrien Pouillot's Perspective, Strategic Planner at Factory.

On March 20th, we were invited with our client [**Voodoo**](/en/projects/voodoo) to the Worknight event organized by Republik, which honors outstanding projects in the future of work.

We are particularly proud to have won the Gold award with our client Voodoo in the categories of layout and co-construction, as well as the People's Choice Grand Prize for our 7,500 m2 project within the Louvre Post Office.

These awards are especially important to us as they highlight collaborative creation designed by and for a very specific organization and corporate culture.

It is our first competition that rewards what we have believed in for 6 years: the revolution of workspaces is driven by users.

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