L'Oréal Groupe has upsized its headquarters in the UK with a brand-new, purpose-built office in White City for its 1,000+ head office employees, including an Academy, a flagship educational centre set to train over 10,000 hair and beauty professionals from across the UK each year.
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Today French Ambassador to the UK Ms Hélène Duchêne, Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal and Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, London Councilor Stephen Cowan joined L'Oréal UK & Ireland Managing Director & Chairman Thierry Cheval to officially open the L'Oréal Groupe's new headquarters.
As L'Oréal Groupe celebrates reaching a historic milestone of 90 years in the UK, the number one beauty player has moved all 1,000+ head office employees to a new head office in Gateway Central, at the heart of the thriving White City Innovation District.
L'Oréal Groupe's new headquarters, which will be home to its 36 international brands, was designed to create a future-fit working environment - with purpose-built spaces - and 10% larger than the previous headquarters – Gateway reflects the 'new normal' of how people want to work now and in the future. The design encourages people to choose the best work setting according to their function and the task at hand, be it for more concentrated work in a library, more creative and collaborative work in pods and work cafés, or more networking and connection on a large outdoor Terrace or café.
The new building also has sustainability, wellbeing and inclusion at its core to align with the values of L'Oréal's culture, and those of its employees. The White City Place based headquarters, Gateway Central, has an 'Outstanding' BREEAM Design Stage certification - the world's leading science-based method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings.
The new headquarters is also home to the L'Oréal Academy, a flagship educational centre that will train over 10,000 hair and beauty professionals each year, with the aim of elevating skills in the sector. The L'Oréal Academy is a continued investment in the future growth and development of the hair and beauty industry - not only providing technical training but pioneering an industry that is more sustainable, inclusive and digitalised by offering education in core business essentials, digital transformation and upskilling and programmes that support salons and professionals to embark on their sustainability journey.
Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor for Business, said: "I am delighted that L'Oréal Groupe has chosen to locate its new headquarters here in White City, helping to demonstrate that London is the business capital of the world.
"L'Oréal's impressive new building is not only energy efficient, helping us to achieve London's net zero target by 2030, but it will employ hundreds of people and train thousands more from across the country. Equipping young people with the skills they need for the future is a key priority and involvement from the business sector is crucial to achieving that. The L'Oréal Academy is a fantastic example of how we can work with business to build a better, greener and fairer London for all."
Thierry Cheval, L'Oréal UK & Ireland Managing Director commented:
"As the number one beauty player in the UK – and one of the leading markets globally for the L'Oréal Groupe - we know that it is our talented people that are at the heart of our success. We believe the office plays a critical role in fuelling this success now and in the future - drawing on each other's collective intelligence to create the disruptive and innovative ideas that set us apart.
"Our new headquarters is much more than just a physical space; it is an extension of our culture, who we are, our purpose and our values. That's why it was paramount to take the learnings from the past few years and listen to our people and what they need from their working environment and create a purpose-built space that encourages even greater creativity, collaboration and connection, as well as space for quiet reflection and concentration.
"Together, we continue to shape the future of beauty, and our new home is truly the gateway to supporting our people to thrive and flourish for the next 90 years and beyond."
At Gateway Central, L'Oréal joins a rapidly growing business district part of the wider White City Place, with buildings designed for modern life sciences, creative and technology businesses.