The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that two Canadian investment managers and long-time competitors may work together on a deal combining two of their specialties: office property and building businesses. The Globe's Jacqueline Nelson writes that Brookfield Asset Management and Onex are considering a cash bid for Swiss-headquartered flexible workspace operator IWG PLC, which has about 3,000 locations in more than 100 countries. IWG has a market cap of 2.3 billion British pounds, or $3.9-billion. On Wednesday, the board of IWG said that funds managed by Brookfield and Onex had together made an "indicative proposal" to potentially buy the business. The consortium would need to formally announce its intention to make an offer by 5 p.m. on Jan. 20, as mandated by the code governing British public takeovers. IWG's business is focused on the growing slice of the global market for office real estate that is rejecting five- and 10-year leases in favour of more flexible and non-traditional workplaces. Companies such as IWG (International Workplace Group) and WeWork are catering to start-ups and businesses in technology and other creative fields that want to be more nimble and digitally mobilized.