Telefónica Digital opts for London’s Regent Street for its global HQ

Telefónica Digital, the global business unit announced by Telefónica back in September to spearhead the telecom company’s digital growth, has revealed that it has signed a lease on office space in London’s plush Regent Street which will be the base for its new global headquarters.

The new space will place Telefónica at the heart of London’s growing creative and media industry scene, and it says it constitutes part of its long term commitment to the UK capital.

Telefónica Digital will take over the entire fourth and fifth floors, totalling 51,000 sq ft, in The Crown Estate’s new AirW1 scheme. The development is located at the southern end of Regent Street close to Piccadilly Circus, as you can see from this aerial view:

The office space will be house up to 400 Telefónica Digital employees who will complete the move when the development is finished in summer 2012. Also, new technologies developed by Telefónica Digital will be rolled out throughout the HQ which will also as a showcase for customers and partners.

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“London is undoubtedly at the forefront of the current digital revolution and was a natural choice for us to establish our new headquarters in,” said Matthew Key, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica Digital. “London is arguably the biggest hub for technology start ups outside of Silicon Valley and a global centre for the media and advertising industries. It attracts the best talent and, for an international business such as ours, acts as a unique bridge between Europe and the Americas. Our decision to invest in having a significant presence in central London’s Regent Street is clear evidence of our determination to succeed in the digital space.”

This represents the latest in a series of investments made by Telefónica in the UK capital. Last year, O2 launched a new 4,500 square foot flagship shore on Tottenham Court road with drop-in, bookable workspaces for small businesses. Its UK media business has been located in Soho since 2010, and Telefónica also supports the shared workspace TechHub – which we’ve written about before – in Shoreditch through its BlueVia developer programme.

AirW1 is the main office element of The Crown Estate’s 270,000 sq ft Quadrant 3 development and comprises over 180,000 sq ft of prime Grade A office space over seven floors. It includes 90,000 sq ft of flagship retail and restaurant space, and nine new homes.

Here’s a mock-up of how the Telefónica Digital reception area might look.