Ziferblat, a pay-per-minute sitting room and coworking space, has opened its largest branch yet in the Tomorrow Building at MediaCityUK.
For 8 pence per minute (or £4.80 per hour), guests can use the unique coworking space, including unlimited teas, coffees, cakes, biscuits and snacks with access to Wi-Fi, plug sockets, board games, magazines and newspapers. It spans the ground and mezzanine floors of the Tomorrow building, a new creative and tech space at the heart of MediaCityUK.
Ziferblat describes itself as “an extension of your own home,” providing a sitting room environment combined with coworking, event space, meeting rooms and kitchen amenities.
Ziferblat was launched in Moscow by founder Ivan Meetin in 2011, and was initially funded by donations. This was followed by a pay-per-minute model with the addition of refreshments, and today, Ziferblat has grown to multiple locations across Europe with more on the way.
Designed with a quirky vintage theme, the new space at MediaCityUK boasts 43 different kinds of tea and a unique ‘Ziferblend’ coffee, which is available on an honesty box basis. “Guests in a hurry can pay what they believe the coffee is worth, as they leave.”
According to Ziferblat: “Part of what makes us unique is that everything you receive is free, the coffee, the cake, the Wi-Fi, everything. You pay only for the time you spend at just 8-pence a minute.
“If you want to spend the day with us, your spend will be capped at 4 hours and the rest of your time is free! That includes VAT and we don’t don’t charge for service or, in fact, anything else at all.”
Ziferblat’s new space at MediaCityUK, which is child- and dog-friendly, has a series of events lined up to mark its launch including secret gigs, yoga classes, film clubs, pop-up food events and themed talks.
Ziferblat MediaCityUK also has four meeting spaces available for private hire. The branch can accommodate meetings for 2-100 people as well as larger conferences for up to 250 delegates.
