An increase in the number of start-up companies seeking office space has helped Regus boost results amid signs that commercial landlords are beginning to find willing tenants again.

Regus - the world's biggest provider of outsourced office space - has said that demand from workers made redundant who had stated their own company had driven demand for office space.

"This has been a terrible recession, but it has been a catalyst for small businesses," said Mark Dixon, chief executive of Regus.