India’s office real estate transformation: Inside the Table Space strategy for GCC success

The traditional blueprint of the Indian workplace is being redrawn by the meteoric rise of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which have emerged as the primary engine of the country’s commercial property market. The scale of this movement is staggering. Currently, India is home to approximately 1,800 GCCs, and industry projections suggest the sector will hit a $9 billion valuation by 2030.

With the Indian IT-ITES industry generating over $280 billion in annual revenue, real estate absorption remains robust at 75 to 80 million square feet year-on-year. As 70 per cent of Fortune 500 companies look to expand their Indian footprint by 2030, firms like Table Space, which currently manages about 11-12 million square foot portfolio, are becoming the essential infrastructure partners for global giants.

In a special interview on Mint’s series Let’s Get Real with Manisha Natarajan, Table Space co-founders Karan Chopra and Kunal Mehra broke down what it takes to win in a market where the total office stock is 950 million square feet, and why their goal of reaching 30 million square feet by 2030 is just the beginning.

Watch the full episode below,

Shifting the narrative from cost savings to Grade A experience

For years, the narrative surrounding India’s outsourcing boom was centered on labour arbitrage. However, Chopra and Mehra argue that the modern GCC is driven by a quest for premium talent, which in turn demands premium working spaces. Global firms are no longer looking for the lowest price point when they come to set up office in India. They are looking for environments that reflect their global brand identity.

Chopra felt that the quality of the asset is now the primary conversation starter for multinationals entering the Indian market. “I think those days are gone where people were coming to India for cheaper solutions when it comes to real estate. Today they want the best assets and we predominantly work only in grade A assets which are leased from Grade A developers,” he said.

This focus on quality is paired with a move toward ‘Indianising’ global designs. While a Microsoft or Google office in India must feel identical to its Palo Alto counterpart in terms of standards, Table Space utilises an in-house design team to ensure the local workforce feels a sense of cultural connection to their physical surroundings.

A 60-day delivery speed for a new workspace

In the traditional real estate model, a company might spend six months on design and another seven months on construction. Table Space has disrupted this timeline, frequently delivering fully operational, customised offices in 60 to 90 days, and, in one instance, a record 43 days.

Mehra attributes this speed to a highly institutionalised “assembly line” approach. By managing 11 to 12 million square feet of operational real estate, the firm leverages massive economies of scale that a single occupier cannot replicate.

“Our entire objective is to create that seamless experience for the customer because we want to be their integrated service provider throughout the country. That feeling of creating the same culture in any part of the country in 60 to 90 days and achieving that speed is unparalleled,” explained Mehra.

By purchasing materials like chairs and construction supplies in bulk – buying 30,000 chairs at a time versus a single occupier’s 500 – Table Space passes cost efficiencies back to the client while handling the entire capital investment upfront.

An integrated ecosystem beyond real estate

The most significant evolution in Table Space’s strategy is its transition into an “institutionalised enterprise workspace ecosystem”. This means the firm is no longer just a landlord but a service provider managing everything from talent hiring and GST registration to tech-enabled hospitality and food services.

Chopra said that this model creates a lasting partnership rather than a one-time transaction. Even clients who utilise their “design and build” service gain access to the broader Table Space network, which includes approximately 200 meeting rooms, 40 boardrooms, and 25 training rooms across 78 centres.

“We work with them hand in hand for the entirety of the occupancy or the entirety of the contract that they have with the landlord. Instead of them investing capital, we invest capital and then we run the entire operations for them for the entirety of the contract,” said Chopra.

To manage this complexity, the firm relies on a proprietary tech platform. Mehra, who recently explored robotics and new product integrations in China, labelled technology as the heartbeat of their scalability.

“For us, tech is very very close to our heart and we completely believe that the scale that we want to achieve can only happen if you have the right technology in place.. Getting the tech right takes a bit more of our time because it’s evolving every day, every hour,” Mehra said.

Future roadmap: Tier 2 cities and global footprints

While the current industry footprint is around 90 million square feet, the co-founders see immense headroom within the broader 950 million square feet of Indian office stock. This growth strategy includes a move into Tier 2 cities, aligning with the government’s push for city economic regions. While Mehra felt that “talent is very scattered” in smaller towns, the firm is already helping existing customers explore these new frontiers.

The vision also extends beyond India’s borders. With 40 per cent of their growth coming from repeat clientele, Table Space is exploring acquisitions and facilities in Dubai, Singapore, and the Philippines to ensure that once a customer enters their ecosystem, they never have a reason to leave.