The Smart Pounder

The sole FTSE 100 company operational in Wales, Admiral Insurance is all set to shift its headquarters to Cardiff. The proposal involves enlargement of the headquarters to cover 184,000 sq ft of BREEAM excellent standard space spread on twelve floors.

The proposal involves deskspace enhancement for accommodating more that 3,000 employees in addition to provision for meeting rooms and lifts. According to Huw Llwellyn, the facility manager of the project, most of the amenities at the headquarters would depend upon the requirements of the staff and therefore, accessibility, security and other amenities would be the prime concern of the project.

He also added that the company was looking forward to maintain a pleasant work environment for its employees, which would include not only comfortable work space but also each access to restaurants and shops in addition to other entertainment spots. Further, since the employees of call centres and a few others work till late security will be one of the prime business location considerations.

The company had prepared a shortlist of places for its headquarters that includes two sites of one acre each on the Bridge Street. One of the proposed sites is owned by MA Rapport Group, while the other is owned by Land Securities. Both the sites offer similar amenities that suit the purpose. The development of the former would be by MA Rapport Group in collaboration with Cardiff-based Rightacres and the latter by Land Securities in a joint venture with the Midland-based Stoford Company.

It is worth noting that Admiral is amongst Wales‘ largest employers and has over 1,600 employees in Cardiff. They are also looking forward to expand offices in other areas like Newport and Swansea.