Apple eyes Munich expansion with 322,000-square-foot office rental

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Apple is increasing its operations in Germany after making an agreement to rent out an entire office building that is still under construction in Munich, a location that could hold another 1,500 employees once it is completed in 2021.

A render of the Karl office building (Chipperfield Architects)
A render of the Karl office building (Chipperfield Architects)


The "Karl" office building is currently being built on the former Mahag site on Karlstrasse in Munich, with the location set to offer approximately 30,000 square meters (322,917 square feet) of floor space. Despite still being built, the building's owners have confirmed the entire building has been let out to a single unnamed client.

Though Apple typically does not comment on in-progress deals relating to its office spaces, Sueddeutsche reports Clemens Baumgartner, a business consultant, confirmed the company's involvement. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly met Baumgartner at Oktoberfest during a visit to Germany late in 2019.

"This will secure and create high-quality jobs in our city," Baumgartner said. "I use the Oktoberfest to get in touch with business players and to talk about the advantages of Munich as a location for technology and science. If Mr Cook has found positive feedback, I would be happy."

Apple currently operates its Bavarian Design Center in Munich, one of the Cook visit venues, which plays host to approximately 300 engineers from around the world. In one interview, Cook suggested the city was valuable as a team could be put together there that couldn't be created elsewhere, as well as citing the supply of graduates of nearby universities as being a valuable asset to the city.

It is unclear if the existing Bavarian Design Center will be rolled into the new offices or operate separately, but Apple is already seeking people to expand the workforce. More than 60 job profiles have been put up for the Munich location, covering a variety of research and development topics.

Given Apple's acquisition of Intel's modem business in July, it is plausible some of the office space could be used for Intel's engineers based in Germany who worked in the field.

Apple isn't the only tech giant interested in Munich, with Google declaring in October it would expand its current Munich workforce from 1,000 employees to 1,500, along with plans to build approximately 41,000 square meters of office space. Amazon and Microsoft also have their German headquarters in the city.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,972member
    After Brexit, many players will look to mainland Europe for their operations. I expect Apple's UK plans to get tweaked at some point.
    caladanianapplesnorangesfotoformat
  • Reply 2 of 7
    Vorsprung durch Technik
    Carnage
  • Reply 3 of 7
    buckalec said:
    Vorsprung durch Technik
    Oder etwas.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    avon b7 said:
    After Brexit, many players will look to mainland Europe for their operations. I expect Apple's UK plans to get tweaked at some point.
    Nonsense.
    cornchip
  • Reply 5 of 7
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,972member
    lkrupp said:
    avon b7 said:
    After Brexit, many players will look to mainland Europe for their operations. I expect Apple's UK plans to get tweaked at some point.
    Nonsense.
    Care to expand? Off shore Europe (Ireland for example has little growth capacity for a heap of reasons). Mainland Europe offers a heap of advantages, not least a common currency and freedom of movement. From both an employee and employer perspective that makes a lot if sense. Yes, even in the services industry. Anything from design to multilingual call centres would benefit from being in mainland Europe. Legislative support will be far more untangled from within the EU.

    Apple had already committed to London but let's wait and see what actually comes of it.

    The UK out of the EU will feel the cold sooner rather than later and everyone should understand why. If your market is Europe, you are better off operating within Europe. If you happen to be a multinational the decision is easier.
    applesnorangesfotoformat
  • Reply 6 of 7
    Sounds like a dream job in a dream city. 1500 lucky people get to live that dream 🙂
  • Reply 7 of 7

    Mia san mia!

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