Apple CEO Tim Cook has recently visited the company’s upcoming new London headquarters located at Battersea Power Station and has provided a sneak peek on Twitter. This is a decommissioned coal power station which has been redeveloped by a consortium of Malaysian developers.
According to a tweet by Tim Cook, they can’t wait to open their new offices in the iconic Battersea Power Station early next year. He added that it’s a tribute to this incredible city and a reflection of their commitment to Apple’s future in the UK. As reported by the Evening Standard, he said: “Apple has been part of the London community for more than 40 years, and we’re thrilled to soon bring some of our teams together in the historic Battersea Power Station.”
“Once a source of energy for much of London, the transformation this building has undergone honours London’s past and celebrates its future. We’re so glad to be a part of it,” he added.
The move to Battersea Power Station was reported back in 2016 and it will house around 1,400 employees. Covering a floor space of 500,000 square feet, this is one of Apple’s largest offices outside the United States.
Battersea Power Station is owned by Sime Darby, SP Setia and EPF
The restored and modernised Battersea Power Station is currently set to open next month on 14th October 2022. The power station was first opened in 1933 with two chimneys before a near-identical second stage is added which adds another two chimneys to the overall structure. Battersea was said to be one of the world’s largest brick buildings and it was left unused for more than 30 years after it was decommissioned in 1975. During its peak in the 1950s, it was burning 10,000 tonnes of coal per week to produce 509MW of electricity, which is 20% of London’s power needs.
In 2012, a Malaysian consortium consisting of Sime Darby Berhad, SP Setia Berhad and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) acquired Battersea Power Station for GBP 400 million (about RM1.97 billion). The development is managed by Battersea Project Holding Company Limited where Sime Darby and SP Setia own a 40% stake each, while EPF owns the remaining 20% stake. In 2019, PNB and EPF completed their acquisition of commercial assets in Phase 2 of Battersea Power Station and it was described to be the most expensive deal in the UK valued at GBP 1.58 billion (RM8.51 billion).
The redevelopment covers an area of 42-acre (over 8 million sq ft) which includes homes, shops, bars, restaurants, cafes, offices and more than 19 acres of public space.
Focusing back to Malaysia, it has been reported that the Cupertino company is working on setting up its first Apple Store in Kuala Lumpur. The Edge reported last year that the first official Apple Store in Malaysia is said to be located at The Exchange TRX and it could open as early as 2022.
Apple seems to be putting more emphasis on Malaysia lately. Besides having the fastest local iPhone release yet with the iPhone 14, they have also introduced Apple Pay locally, making Malaysia the second country to get it in Southeast Asia after Singapore.
[ SOURCE 2, IMAGE SOURCE ]
