Swimming gear retailer Speedo is moving its North America headquarters closer to the heart of one of the world's most anticipated aquatic sporting events.
Speedo's parent, U.K.-based apparel conglomerate Pentland Brands, will shift its corporate home about 8 miles west from a 69,000-square-foot building at 6251 Katella Ave. in Orange County, California, to a 25,000-square-foot office at 3900 Kilroy Airport Way in Long Beach this summer.
The relocation coincides with Long Beach's preparations to host 11 Olympic and seven Paralympic events as part of the LA28 Games, including marathon or open water swimming, water polo, artistic swimming, sailing and the new discipline of coastal rowing. Speedo's facility will enable the company to boost visibility during the events, said Joel Harris, president of the Americas for Pentland Brands.
"As we look ahead to the LA28 Olympic Games, we're excited to be part of Long Beach's future and to support the incredible energy and opportunity that the Olympics will bring to this region," Harris said in a statement.
Aero Long Beach is a modern, creatively designed office campus repurposed from former aerospace facilities and branded as a hub for innovative and industrial users near the Long Beach Airport.
The new space will accommodate more than 130 employees and serve as the central hub for Pentland’s operations including offices, showrooms, and research and development space for Speedo and the firm's other brands, including Berghaus and Endura.
Olympic tradition
Speedo has become synonymous with swimming since its founding in Australia more than 100 years ago, from early Olympic breakthroughs in the 1930s to its modern role as a global performance brand. It has brand partnerships with Olympians including Adam Peaty, Cullen Jones and Bella Sims.
Speedo has long used the Olympics as a global marketing platform, perhaps most famously with its LZR Racer suit at the 2008 Beijing Games that was worn by the majority of medal winners — including the record-setting Michael Phelps.
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Speedo launched broad lifestyle campaigns such as “Go Full Speedo,” combining athlete partnerships, digital ads and cultural messaging to tie its modern identity back to its Olympic heritage.
LA28 planners and tourism officials expect the Olympics to bring roughly 10 million to 15 million visitors to Southern California, with several million coming from outside the U.S. to attend events spread across Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The more traditional swimming and diving events are slated for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Speedo deal contributes to positive leasing momentum in the suburban Long Beach neighborhood where the new office will be located, with vacancy down to about 9% as steady absorption has outpaced building completions over the past year, according to CoStar data.
For the record
Jason Fine and Monica Enes of JLL represented the landlord in the deal. Bob Caudill of Colliers represented the tenant.