Growing where the roots are: Cornerstone laid for the future “Beiersdorf Campus”

A huge construction pit and four cranes that shoot high into the sky are the most obvious signs of change: The “Beiersdorf Campus” is coming together at Beiersdorf AG’s site on Troplowitzstraße in Hamburg – a far-reaching investment in the future at this historic location. The company laid the cornerstone for the new facility during a ceremony this morning that was also attended by Hamburg’s First Mayor, Dr. Peter Tschentscher.

“Beiersdorf AG is building its headquarters of the future in Eimsbüttel. In doing so, it is remaining loyal to the location that the Group has called home for 135 years”, the First Mayor of Hamburg, Dr. Peter Tschentscher, said. “With its new headquarters, the DAX-listed company is making an important statement: Production and development can work just as well in an urban setting as administrative offices can. Hamburg, the attractive and diverse city that it is, serves as a strong magnet in the company’s efforts to recruit qualified skilled employees, individuals who play such a crucial role in Beiersdorf’s competitiveness.”

During his speech, Beiersdorf Executive Board Chairman Stefan De Loecker underscored the importance of the construction project for the company, which has never been as international and diverse as it is today: “The entrepreneurial roots that are so important to us run deep in this area of Hamburg. With our investment of €250 million, we are taking advantage of the opportunity to consolidate Group functions that are currently split up among three locations. State-of-the-art work stations are being built for our employees here.”

The new campus will bring together about 3,000 state-of-the-art office and lab work stations in the new and existing buildings. To ensure that these stations meet worker needs, employees from a range of different areas were brought into the planning process. The concept is also designed to underpin the new company strategy, C.A.R.E.+. This entails a realignment of the Consumer Business Segment, which generated more than 80 percent of Group sales in 2018. In light of the dramatic changes sweeping through the industry, Beiersdorf is planning to invest €70 million to €80 million in internationalization, innovations, digitalization and employee training each year. These investments will be designed to continue the high level of growth produced in recent years and to improve the quality of growth. The plus sign highlights the goal of creating more value for people and society over the long term. “The future ‘Beiersdorf Campus’ is an expression of our ambition,” De Loecker said. “It is the appropriate symbol for the values that Beiersdorf embodies. We are talking about a long-term commitment and reliability on the one hand and openness and courage on the other.”

The future “Beiersdorf Campus” will include a number of new buildings that will complement existing facilities like the skin research center that opened in 2004. The centerpiece of the 60,000-square-meter site on Troplowitzstraße will be the new Group headquarters, which is scheduled to open in 2021. The building was designed by the highly respected Hamburg firm Hadi Teherani Architects. A new laboratory building designed by Brechensbauer, Weinhart and Partner of Munich will be erected on the site as well. Beiersdorf will also construct an additional office building (scheduled completion date: 2023), a new underground parking garage that will include an underground loading area and large outdoor areas where employees can exercise and relax. In all, the company will have an additional 100,000 square meters of area, both underground and above ground, available to it. All employees who are currently working in today’s headquarters on Unnastraße will move to the “Beiersdorf Campus” by 2023.

The new campus will bring together about 3,000 state-of-the-art office and lab work stations in the new and existing buildings. To ensure that these stations meet worker needs, employees from a range of different areas were brought into the planning process. Beiersdorf intends to become the first company in Germany to receive double certification for its Group headquarters: LEED – an internationally recognized sustainability seal for building planning – and the WELL standard. The WELL standard focuses on employee health and well-being: from the planning to the day-to-day use of the new building and the new world of work that will be created there.

Planning has already begun for the use of the area on Unnastraße where the headquarters is currently located. The place where Dr. Oscar Troplowitz laid the cornerstone for the positive growth of Beiersdorf 127 years ago is to become a lively residential and urban area. The urban planning competition will begin in April 2019 after city residents were given an extensive opportunity to voice their opinions about the project last summer and fall. The work to turn the plans into a reality will begin once all employees have moved to Troplowitzstraße.