Unilever has reached practical completion of its 300,000-square-foot London campus and immediately launched around a third for sublease, CoStar News can reveal.
The consumer goods giant said the campus will open in Kingston-upon-Thames’ town centre in spring 2026. Developed by Cube RE and funded by LCN Partners, the Eden Campus project will be home to the company’s UK and Ireland headquarters, and will also offer flexible south-west London sublease opportunities.
Following the completion of fit-out works in spring 2026, Unilever will fully occupy Building A, known as Sunlight House, an eight-storey 195,000-square-foot office building.
The group behind brands including Persil, Dove, Simple, Magnum and Hellmann’s had initially planned to occupy the entire scheme. But it said following a business and workplace strategy review, Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE have been appointed to sublease Building B, a 10-storey office building totalling 96,000 square feet. To be marketed as The Cygnet, the companies said the building will provide prime office space that meets the highest environmental standards and will be net zero carbon in operation.
Unilever – created in 1929 by the merger of Britain's Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie of the Netherlands – had been expected to consolidate its offices in London, including the famous Unilever Building at 100 Victoria Embankment, and Surrey, into the address but it is thought it will retain a significant presence in the Unilever Building.
The Eden Campus has been developed on the former Surrey Island site next to the Eden Walk shopping centre and has redeveloped the southern gateway to Kingston town centre. The two office buildings sit in a landscaped environment alongside a new car park and cycle block with 350 car spaces (100% EV enabled), cycle storage and hotel-style end-of-trip facilities, with a rooftop garden overlooking the River Thames towards Hampton Court Palace.
Marc Woodward, head of Unilever UK, said in a statement: “With the fit-out of Sunlight House about to commence, our new Unilever UK & Ireland headquarters is taking shape, and we can start to visualise all of the new facilities our employees, our visitors and our partners will be able to enjoy in the Campus. We are equally as excited about the marketing of The Cygnet, as we know this presents a fantastic opportunity for one or more businesses to relocate to a central location in a sustainable and welcoming office environment.”
Charles Dady, head of national office agency at Cushman & Wakefield, added: “We are proud to be involved with this market-leading project and to be launching The Cygnet with CBRE on behalf of Unilever. The scheme sets new standards in office design and sustainability."
CoStar News revealed in 2022 that that New York investor LCN had completed a £250 million funding deal for Cube Real Estate to develop the office, which Unilever had agreed to prelet in its entirety.