Confidential Global Food Industry Leader

The client sought a new headquarters that could support specialized operational requirements, including test kitchens, while accommodating rapid growth. Equally important was creating a workplace experience that would strengthen culture and encourage employees to spend more time in the office. 

Key Outcome:
We identified and secured a 100,000-sf headquarters, nearly twice the size of the original requirement, through an employee-centered workplace strategy. and it is now advancing through design.

The client had outgrown its heritage office. While rich in character, the building could no longer support the organization’s growth ambitions or employee experience goals. Limited expansion opportunities, accessibility constraints, aging infrastructure and poor acoustics created operational challenges. The client needed a future-ready headquarters that could accommodate specialized functions while serving as a destination workplace for employees.

Key Challenges:

• A heritage building with limited capacity for future growth 
• Aging infrastructure, accessibility limitations and poor acoustic performance 
• Specialized operational requirements, including test kitchens
• Aligning rapid business growth with a workplace experience that strengthens in-office engagement

The client selected Cushman & Wakefield for our integrated approach, bringing together brokerage, workplace strategy, and Project & Development Services from the outset. Through extensive employee engagement and workplace research, we gained insight into how employees wanted to work. These findings, combined with data-driven analysis, cost modeling and innovative design concepts, enabled the client to make informed decisions aligned with its culture, sustainability objectives and long-term business goals.

What We Delivered:

• An integrative “day one” approach that included real estate, workplace strategy and project delivery solutions 
• Employee engagement research that identified a need for personal space within a flexible workplace
• Data-driven cost analyses and design scenarios to support decision-making
• A workplace strategy that expanded the brief beyond the initial 60,000-sf requirement and aligned the workplace with future growth

The client selected a newly constructed Class AAA building – one that offered significant architectural character and modern amenities. Additionally, the building offers superior sustainable advantages, which were important to the client. Floor plate sizes are much larger than those at the client’s existing location, which allows for better colocation of teams and a more productive environment. This project is in the design phase. Final performance results are forthcoming, but the foundation has been laid for a transformative workplace.  

Progress to Date:

• Secured a 100,000-sf headquarters, significantly exceeding the original 60,000-sf requirement, with outdoor terraces and extensive collaborative space
• Finalized the lease in September 2025, advancing the project from strategy to implementation
• Developed a workplace vision designed to support the company's hybrid work model and evolving business needs
• Established the foundation for a future workplace that enables innovation, collaboration, and cultural connection
• Final outcomes and performance measures to be reported following project completion and occupancy (anticipated March 2027)