Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever is proposing to consolidate employees from five locations in the south-east of England, including its London global headquarters, to a new campus site to the west of the capital.
The idea is for its new base in Kingston-upon-Thames to be operational from the end of 2023.
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But the company is refusing to be drawn on the number of staff impacted by the switch as the campus has not yet received planning permission and the move is subject to consultation with employees.
The plan is to consolidate staff from two central London offices, including its HQ on the River Thames at Blackfriars, as well as bases in Leatherhead, Richmond and Kingston, into the new campus building.
The Blackfriars office will be retained to give the company a central London presence but head office staff would move to Kingston.
In a statement sent to just-food, a Unilever spokesperson said: “We have shared plans to relocate employees from a number of our south-east offices into a brand-new, purpose-built site in Kingston-upon-Thames from the end of 2023, bringing together our global and UK offices into one location.
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By GlobalData“Should this proposal go ahead, we will create a modern ‘Unilever campus’, a collaborative workplace which reflects today’s ways of working, with high sustainability standards, situated close to consumers and retailers in the busy shopping town of Kingston, where Unilever has had an office for many years.
“It also makes good financial sense to bring five separate offices together into one.
“We will now consult with our employees in these sites on this proposal, which is also subject to planning permission.”
The proposed site in Kingston currently includes a former night club and a car park.
Unilever, behind food brands such as Marmite and Ben & Jerry’s, said earlier this month it planned to unify its legal structure under a single entity headquartered in London.
