Sunday, September 8, 2024

Chunks to be cut out of HSBC skyscraper in Canary Wharf overhaul

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The bank was one of several financial services companies to move to Canary Wharf when it opened in 1991, with the tower once Britain’s most expensive block. 

But since the pandemic a number of major financial institutions have left the high-rise financial district for smaller offices in the City of London, as a growing number of staff work from home. 

“Magic circle” law firm Clifford Chance, law firm Skadden and ratings agency Moody’s are among those to unveil plans to leave the area for the more historic Square Mile. 

Some banks choosing to stay are reducing their presence by subletting floors. Earlier this year Blackstone shelved plans to sell a £250m tower in Canary Wharf, while a nearby office once occupied by a casualty of the 2008 banking crisis sold at a £160m discount.

Just over half of the businesses based in Canary Wharf are now in the finance industry, down from 70pc around a decade ago. Its latest annual report revealed that the value of its office portfolio fell from £5.26bn to £4.34bn in 2023.

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