With a raft of new tenants coming on board, the opening of the Shangri-La Hotel, and The View from The Shard welcoming its millionth visitor, 2014 has been an exciting year for Western Europe’s tallest building.
February was the month when activity at The Shard accelerated with the confirmation of five new lease agreements – Mathys & Squire, Al Jazeera, South Hook Gas, Foresight and HCA.
Mathys & Squire relocated to The Shard in March and, within a month, had announced a trebling of new business.
March saw the arrival of South Hook Gas and leading investment firm Foresight, with the opening of the critically acclaimed Shangri-La following in May.
News UK, the publisher of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun, arrived at the neighbouring News Building the following month. The publisher was followed by staff from the Wall Street Journal Europe, with HarperCollins due to join them in January.
In July three more tenants – Arma Partners, Warwick Business School and Campari – agreed terms. The first of these, Arma Partners, moved into the building in August, saying they had made the move due to the quality of the office accommodation.
The leasing activity continued in September with the confirmation that Tiffany & Co would be relocating to the building.
The leading international jeweller, which took 8,000 sq ft, said; “We are delighted to be able to offer our UK staff a world-class office environment within this vibrant and burgeoning district of London.”
In October, Warwick Business School began moving into its London base on the 17th floor, with Dean Mark Taylor describing The Shard as an image of dynamism and daring.
November saw another landmark when Al Jazeera began broadcasting its daily news programmes live from The Shard.
This month, the year has been rounded off with the announcement that London’s leading flexible office-space provider, The Office Group, is to take two floors.
All this activity has led to The Shard describing 2014 as the year the building came to life and hotly anticipating the momentum continuing in 2015.
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