GSK moves to new HQ in return to central London
Around 3,000 of the drug giant’s staff will be based at The Earnshaw building on the corner of New Oxford Street.
Drugs giant GSK is set to move its global headquarters back to central London, ending more than two decades at its Brentford base.
Around 3,000 employees will work from The Earnshaw building on the corner of New Oxford Street from Tuesday.
It marks the end of its time at the Brentford site in west London after the £315 million building was officially opened in 2002 by then prime minister Tony Blair.
It sees GSK return to central London, where the company traces its roots back to the Plough Court Pharmacy, founded in the City in 1715.
GSK said on announcing the new global HQ in December 2022 that the six-floor building would be designed with hybrid working in mind, including technology to support remote working, while also aiming to be energy efficient to help meet the firm’s 2030 net zero goals.
Dame Emma said at the time: “We are proud to call London our home and look forward to the opportunities for even closer collaboration with the city’s world-class science, academic and healthcare institutions.”
GSK recently flagged its decision to move the global HQ in London as a sign of its commitment to Britain and a UK listing, at a time when the London Stock Exchange is under pressure from a raft of firms defecting overseas.
Dame Emma told the Times CEO Summit last month that the group was “unequivocally, 100% committed” to retaining its listing in Britain, despite the UK only accounting for 3% of its business.
