Kuehne + Nagel inaugurates new German head office in Hamburg's HafenCity
In 2003, Kuehne + Nagel was one of the first companies to decide to invest in HafenCity and procured a 4,400 sqm plot of municipal land. The company's overall investment in land and property amounts to approximately 32 million euros. The new office building, which boasts distinctive architecture, features 13,000 sqm of gross floor space. The top floors of the building's eleven-storey tower house the executive offices and conference rooms and offer impressive views across the River Elbe, the port, and Hamburg's city centre. The new national head office accommodates around 700 employees, formerly spread across the city: the national head office, the corporate IT department, and the Hamburg branch. Jan Störmer Partner, the architects, designed a building characterised by a modest generosity and a successful dialogue of contrasts. Nearly each workplace offers views across the Port of Hamburg - a port closely linked to the company's success.
"I'm very pleased that we now again have a prestigious office building in Hamburg, my home town. The team of architects has successfully conceived a building formidable in design and of indisputably high functionality," said Klaus-Michael Kuehne at the opening ceremony. "Hamburg is one of the key locations within our global network, which today comprises 830 locations in more than 100 countries with over 46,000 employees."
Hamburg's First Mayor, Ole von Beust, said at the ceremony, "I am delighted that Kuehne + Nagel has decided to locate its new German head office in HafenCity. The move sees one of the globally leading logistics companies further strengthening its ties with Hamburg. HafenCity is proving its worth as a location for major internationally operating companies."
Ever since the foundation of the Hamburg branch in 1902, Kuehne + Nagel has remained firmly associated with the city. From its promising beginnings in the shipment of sugar and the provision of freighting services on the River Elbe, Kuehne + Nagel today handles a considerable amount of its seafreight business via the Port of Hamburg. In Altenwerder, adjacent to the container terminal, the company operates a state-of-the-art logistics facility featuring 32,000 sqm of warehouse space. In total, the Kuehne + Nagel Group currently employs 1,200 staff in this economic metropolis.
Kuehne + Nagel's next major project in Hamburg is already being piloted: In view of the strongly growing contract logistics and overland business, the construction of a large warehouse and logistics facility for national and European groupage traffic is planned.
inge.lauble@kuehne-nagel.com