Tech giant Google has spent $1 billion to buy a central London building where it is currently a tenant. Showing its confidence in the future of the office as a place to work, the company said on Friday.
Google, which employs 6,400 people in Britain, plans a multi-million pound refurbishment of its offices within the Central Saint Giles development it is buying, close to Covent Garden in central London.
The new refurbishment will also feature outdoor covered working spaces to enable work in the fresh air, the company said.
This investment in jobs from Google is a big vote of confidence in the UK as a world-leading tech hub. Finance minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.
Google said last month that its return-to-office plan is delayed globally due to concern of Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Central Saint Giles building had been owned by a joint venture between Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets and Mitsubishi Estate London Limited.
– Reuters