Superbrand Apple is eyeing a prime development site at the east end of Oxford Street for its 100,000 sq ft HQ requirement.
The creator of the iPad is understood to have looked at the Royal Mail sorting office site at 35-50 Rathbone Place, W1, for its potential office relocation.
DTZ has been instructed to scour London for a new HQ of between 70,000sq ft and 100,000 sq ft for the technology giant.
The 2.3-acre Rathbone Place site was acquired by Great Portland Estates in September this year for £120m and has major redevelopment potential.
Royal Mail submitted plans for a circa 380,000 sq ft mixed-use scheme on the site in May. However, GPE is to submit new proposals for the block next year. The building will remain occupied by Royal Mail until June 2013.
Apple has a lease break on its current HQ at the Crown Estate’s 120,000 sq ft 1 Hanover Street, W1, in 2015. Apple occupies around 68,000 sq ft in the property.
West End agents said the firm had been in serious discussions to take space at the Crown’s AirW1 building for its new headquarters, but no deal has been agreed.
They added that there were only two other sites in central London that could meet Apple’s requirement – Argent’s King’s Cross Central, N1, and Aviva Investors’ and Exemplar Properties’ redevelopment of Middlesex Hospital in Fitzrovia, W1.
Apple declined to comment on the requirement.
GPE and DTZ were unavailable for comment.
Joanna.bourke@estatesgazette.com
