Vodafone is seeking to expand its office space in London, as the firm looks to accommodate its fast-growing technology workforce.
The London-listed company is on the hunt for up to 40,000 sq ft of offices in central London to supplement its existing estate in the capital. It has appointed Colliers on the requirement, with a preference for office space in the West End.
Vodafone already holds about 130,000 sq ft of offices at 1 Kingdom Street, W2, a building owned by CC Land, where its lease expires in 2023.
Last year, the firm stalled plans to move its London base amid uncertainty brought about by the Covid-19 lockdown. Prior to that, it had considered buildings including Sellar’s Paddington Cube and YardNine’s nearby Fifty Paddington.
The fresh requirement does not represent a reboot of its headquarters search, but instead will focus on space to accommodate a growing headcount as the company looks to bring more tech skills in-house.
Last year, Vodafone announced that it would speed up the growth of its digital services business by hiring 7,000 new software engineers across Europe by 2025. This is to develop products such as cyber security services and smart network features.
The move is part of Vodafone’s increased investment to meet surging demand for digital connectivity, which is growing by up to 50% every year and has been accelerated by the pandemic.
By bringing more software skills in-house, Vodafone is aiming to pivot from a traditional telecommunications company to a digital services provider.
Vodafone and Colliers declined to comment.
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