Canary Wharf Group plc has unveiled a new brand mark and vision for the business, as it continues to diversify its portfolio.
The Group will be giving greater emphasis on residential and retail developments, both within and outside the Canary Wharf Estate. This reflects the Group’s exciting evolution as a developer offering high quality office, retail, leisure and now residential space in London.
The rebrand also secures greater recognition and creates a stronger identity for the Group, which started life as an office developer, but now encompasses a full range of activities including landscaping, arts and events, fit out, transport, infrastructure, Level39, residential, retail development and our objective to help place work for local companies through East London Business Place (ELBP), which has already helped to generate £1 billion worth of business.
The new branding underpins Canary Wharf Group’s approach as one of London’s most contemporary place makers as it moves forward with the development of a number of landmark destinations across London – including The Shell Centre, Newfoundland on the Canary Wharf Estate and 20 Fenchurch Street. It will also act as a visual representation of the quality and values that are embedded across the organisation.
Canary Wharf Group’s Chairman and CEO Sir George Iacobescu commented: “Today marks a new era for Canary Wharf Group, symbolising the Group’s evolution as a diversified developer, but we are not only a developer for office space, we offer a great deal more including retail and now our move in to residential. We have regenerated the Canary Wharf Estate into one of the world’s leading business districts and the path ahead sees the Group develop its residential offering.”
“The portfolio now extends from the Shell Centre through to the proposed eastern development of Canary Wharf, formerly known as Wood Wharf, which received planning permission earlier in the week. Applying our existing expertise to the residential market, we are well equipped to meet the challenges of the future. Coupled with our renowned commercial offering and a unique retail proposition, we are truly in the business of creating sustainable London communities. Canary Wharf is the original smart city and we are working towards building a smart city of the future.”
Camille Waxer, Chief Administrative Officer, Canary Wharf Group, comments: “We have worked with passion to build an environment that people enjoy. Canary Wharf is a place to experience our large mix of retail and arts and events programmes, but also to see how it’s developed and is developing. The future of Canary Wharf is extremely important to us and the new brand mark is a true reflection of the Group’s vision, it’s an identity that people will be able to resonate with. We wanted to create a standout brand that not only represents quality and value, but a symbol that really does take us in to the future.”
The Group has outlined its vision for the company updating the status of a number of major projects across the capital including:
- The evolution of the Canary Wharf Estate into a complete lifestyle destination, with its first residential development, Newfoundland making it possible for people to live on the Estate for the first time. The Newfoundland site will be comprised of 611 suites, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and a health club and spa offering superb views of London.
- The eastern continuation of the Canary Wharf Estate, formerly known as Wood Wharf represents the continued redevelopment of East London almost 30 years after the original transformation of Canary Wharf began. Having now been granted planning permission, the plans for a newly created district will attract a blend of tenants, new buildings and high street shops. The new neighbourhood, comprising of 4.9m sq ft, will offer a range of homes from park-side townhouses, outstanding high-rise buildings designed by some of the world’s most renowned architects and include a mix of private, intermediate and social housing and a network of high quality parks and public squares. The development is expected to create over 17,000 new jobs within the new development alone, with 3,500 of these taken by local residents. It will also continue to place work for local small and medium sized companies through East London Business Place (ELBP). ELBP has already helped to generate £1 billion worth of business for local companies since 1997, building on Canary Wharf Group’s commitment to the community in this dynamic and culturally rich area of London.
- One of Europe’s largest retail expansions, demonstrated by the successful letting of over 300 shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. These include many of Britain’s leading brands, including Michael Kors and Banana Republic in the Jubilee Place extension, which opened in November 2013, adding a further 44,000 sq ft to the existing retail space on the Estate.
- The new Canary Wharf Crossrail station, one of the most architecturally stunning Crossrail stations, which will feature 115,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including east London’s first Everyman Cinema and a rooftop garden. The first retail element is due to open in May 2015, three years ahead of the station opening.
- The redevelopment of the Shell Centre on the South Bank of the River Thames, comprising office, residential and retail space, which will regenerate an iconic section of central London’s South Bank. The redevelopment will comprise 523,000 sq ft of office space, 79,000 sq ft of shops, restaurants, cafes and a health club, together with 835,000 sq ft of residential, creating 877 homes.
- The impressive “Walkie Talkie” tower at 20 Fenchurch Street, which is almost 90% pre-let to a range of companies or in solicitors hands. The tower’s unique three-tiered sky garden will include a high quality restaurant, bar and café, together with an open air viewing area which will be open to the public at no cost providing a new place from which to view London.
- Creating Level39, Europe’s largest accelerator space and a point of convergence for financial services professionals and high growth technology companies specialising in financial, retail and future cities technologies to meet in a nurturing environment. In its first year, Level39 (29,000 sq ft) was inundated with over 682 applications, and six months after the launch, Canary Wharf Group opened the High Growth Space (15,000 sq ft) for larger tech companies on Level 42 – this space is already 50% occupied. The success of the accelerator model is further evidenced by the Group announcing its first home-grown tenant in Level39’s first year - Pirean, a graduate of Level39 and the High Growth Space which signed a 5-year lease in Canary Wharf earlier this year.
The Canary Wharf Group plc is also pleased to announce its new brand mark. With Canary Wharf’s continuing expansion of its exceptional office, retail and leisure environments, the commencement of its first residential tower, the advent of Crossrail and Canary Wharf becoming a truly sensational working and living destination, this new brand mark has been created to signal this new and evolving story.
Source: Canary Wharf PLC 24.07.2014