Clothing company Desigual unveils its new world headquarters on Barcelona’s seafront

Barcelona (ACN).- The clothing retail multinational Desigual officially unveiled its new world headquarters in Barcelona on Thursday. The company’s new headquarters are the second longest building in the Catalan capital, as they are 186 metres long. It is located on prime real estate, just in front of Barceloneta beach and next to the W Hotel, in Barcelona’s seafront. The headquarters will initially host 840 employees, although at a later stage they will host up to 1,500 people. The building, which was designed by the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, is split into 6 storeys and occupies 24,400 square metres. According to Desigual’s President, Thomas Meyer, the building is inspired by the retail company’s values such as “positivity, respect, compromise and constant improvement”. “It is a dream come true”, he added. The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, attended the unveiling event and praised Desigual for combining the “informality” of its clothing style with the “seriousness” of a company with shops in more than 100 countries. Mas also added that he “envied” the building and the location, with its large windows overlooking the beach. The Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, was also present at the event, as well as the President of Barcelona Port, Sixte Cambra, and Desigual’s General Director Manel Jadraque.

The new Desigual headquarters are located at number 15, Mare Nostrum Promenade. They cover 24,400 square metres and are 6 storeys tall. The building is 186 metres long, making it the second longest building in Barcelona after the Illa Diagonal shopping and business centre. Initially, 840 employees will work at the new facilities. In fact, they have already been working there for a few weeks, before the official unveiling ceremony. The workers do not have a specific working station and they can sit wherever they please. In addition, they can work in the common areas or in unusual spaces such as on the building’s terrace, looking at the Barcelona skyline, the W Hotel – which was also designed by Ricardo Bofill, the city’s port and Barceloneta beach. The employees are developing design, couture, administration, communication and management tasks at the world headquarters.

The company expects 20% growth and to double its staff within the next 10 years

The retail company’s General Director explained that according to the current plans, Desigual is expecting to increase sales by between 15% and 20% in each of the years to come, starting this year. In 2013 they will open some 100 new shops throughout the world. This growth will mean enlarging the staff based in the company’s world headquarters. The plan is that the staff numbers will double within the next 10 years. The building is prepared for this expansion and can host up to 1,500 workers.

A Catalan retail multinational

Desigual was founded in 1984. The company currently has 3,800 staff members, from 85 different nationalities. In 2012, the retail company sold more than 22 million clothes items through their multiple sales channels throughout the world. The fashion firm had, by the end of last year, 330 of their own shops and was present in 9,000 multi-brand shops and in 2,200 corners in shopping centres in more than 100 countries.