It is expected that the ride-hailing giant Uber, will soon be moving to a considerably larger headquarters in London, once a deal has been agreed upon with regulators as to the next steps forward for the firm.
What is Uber looking for in its new headquarters space?
It is understood that the company is looking for between 75,000 square photos and 100,000 square feet of space, and it is aiming to find this space in the City. According to a number of sources, it is thought that it has already looked and considered three potential premises in the capital, but has yet to agree on a deal.
In terms of the space that Uber currently occupies, its offices are based in Aldgate Tower (near Old Street), with approximately 25,000 square feet of space in total. As a result, if this move goes ahead, the office will triple in size.
Uber in licence turmoil
Whilst the company has been carrying out office space search for a few months, there is one thing that is making it difficult for Uber to go ahead and sign a deal: the lack of a long-term licence in order to operate in London.
This is something that Uber is currently trying to get an agreement with regulators. For now, the firm has a two-month licence that has been granted by Transport for London. This represents the shortest ever licence that has been granted, which is casting fears as to whether Uber will end up receiving a full licence.
Transport for London has said that it will require more information from the business prior to being able to potentially consider another licence application extension.
Will Uber still look for new headquarters?
Given that London represents Uber’s largest market in Europe, as well as one of the firms’ most important outside the United States, insiders strongly believe that Uber will still go ahead to look for a larger headquarters in the capital, regardless of the length of time it takes to receive a full licence to operate in the city.