Unilever has officially opened Sunlight House, its new 200,000 sq ft, purpose-built UK & Ireland headquarters in Kingston-upon-Thames, south-west London.
The new HQ, which will house 1,200 employees from Unilever’s global and UK teams, is the result of a multimillion-pound investment and took six years to design and build.
It makes extensive use of reused and low-carbon materials, including refurbished furniture and finishes made from recycled textiles. Features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting and water-efficient systems further reduce resource use – the HQ is designed to use 40% less water than comparable buildings.
The building boasts a number of art pieces: Flow by local duo Clarke + Scholes to reflect Kingston’s historic relationship with the Thames, a detailed map of Kingston by Ian Wornast and works by local students.
Every workstation is fully wheelchair accessible – exceeding typical office standards – while the building supports a wide range of working styles through flexible spaces designed to support neurodivergent needs.
Employees at the site benefit from facilities including 250-seater auditorium, gym & exercise studio, hair salon, market hall restaurant and staff shop.
Sunlight House was officially opened yesterday (6 July) by Ed Davey, Liberal Democrats leader and MP for Kingston & Surbiton. Its name reflects Unilever’s heritage as the maker of Sunlight Soap – the invention of Lever Brothers founders William and James Lever more than 100 years ago.
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“The opening of our new campus marks an exciting new chapter for Unilever in the UK and reaffirms our commitment to Kingston, where we have had a presence for more than 50 years,” said Alice Taylor, head of HR for Unilever UK & Ireland and site lead for Kingston.
Sunlight House delivered on the fmcg giant’s “ambition to create a creative space for our brands, to reduce our environmental impact and support our people’s wellbeing”, she added. “We have created an incredible space for our teams and wider network of retail customer and partners to work together.”
The new campus was “a fantastic investment in our borough, bringing high-quality jobs, supporting local businesses and reinforcing Kingston’s reputation as a vibrant hub for innovation and growth”, Davey said. “It’s great to see such a vote of confidence from a global company like Unilever continuing to back our community and contribute to the local economy.”
It comes after the official opening last month of the upgraded Port Sunlight, Unilever’s 500,000 sq ft production site on the Wirral Peninsula, following a £150m process.
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