BGC, a leading worldwide brokerage firm, now occupies levels 18, 19 and 20 in its new global headquarters, a 1million sq ft building which is also occupied by Barclays Bank plc and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.
The firm’s staff, including more than 400 brokers, and employees from compliance, ecommerce, entertainment, finance, human resources, IT, legal, management, marketing, payroll, public relations, settlements and tax, moved to Canary Wharf during April and May.
The lease at One Churchill Place is on a 14-year term and was announced after the exchange of contracts with Canary Wharf Group (CWG) in July 2005. The move follows a period of rapid expansion for BGC since its inception in 2004, which has seen its team more
than double to in excess of 1,300 employees worldwide through internal growth and acquisitions.
The expansion includes the opening of offices in Europe and Asia, and the acquisition of inter-dealer firms EuroBrokers and ETC Pollak in 2005.
More than 25,700 carpet tiles, 15,000 ceiling tiles, 1,300 light fittings, and 149,000 metres of structured cabling were installed between autumn of 2005 and April 2006 at Churchill Place, while hundreds of external contractors and many members of support staff assisted during the move.
Shaun Lynn, president of BGC, said: “Our relocation will help create an exciting new environment in which to work and I’m confident that it will allow the group to continue our rapid expansion throughout 2006 and beyond.”
George Iacobescu, chief executive, CWG, said: “We are delighted to welcome BGC to Canary Wharf and wish them every success at their new global headquarters at One Churchill Place. As one of the world’s leading voice and electronic brokerage services, the diversity of the estate is further enhanced by the arrival of BGC.”
In addition to BGC, Canary Wharf also sees the arrival of several other divisions from the Cantor Fitzgerald Group including Cantor Index, Cantor Sport, Cantor CFDs, Cantor Gaming, Cantor Spreadfair, CO2e, eSpeed International, and MIS Brokers.