There was much controversy speculating last week over whether consumer goods group Unilever's Chief Executive, Hein Schumacher, has scrapped a proposal to move the company's global headquarters to Kingston.

However, Unilever has confirmed that whilst it won't be moving its global headquarters from Central London to Kingston, it says it will keep its UK and Ireland headquarters on Eden Street and Brook Street/ St James Street.

A Unilever spokesperson said: "In June 2020, we announced our plan to consolidate a number of Unilever's offices across the Southeast of England into a new Unilever Campus in Kingston-upon-Thames.

"Since then, we have successfully relocated a number of teams into our existing office in Kingston.

"At the same time, we have reflected carefully on the significant changes our business has been going through since the initial announcement, and we have also reconsidered how different Unilever teams have different needs from their office location.

"As a result, while Unilever remains fully committed to Kingston-upon-Thames as the home of our Unilever UK and Ireland headquarters, a number of our global teams, and our leadership development training centre, we are proposing that alongside this, we retain a central London office for our global headquarters and some of our corporate centre teams.

"This will give us the best of both worlds – a state-of-the-art office and leadership development centre in Kingston and a global corporate centre in central London."

The news has caused an abundance of misinformation on social media, with one X (formerly Twitter) user claiming that Unilever will be abandoning its headquarters in Kingston altogether.

More embarrassment for Kingston Lib Dems as Unilever pull out of the council's flagship redevelopment in Kingston town centre. Anyone want thousands of square feet of office space?

— Guildhall Insider (@GuildhallInsid1) August 24, 2024

Cllr James Giles has also been confused by Unilever's plans.

He told Kingston Nub News: "This news is devastating for our town centre. The council and administration bent over backwards to bring Unilever here, approving an eyesore of a building in the process. Now, it's unlikely to ever be fully used.

"We urgently need assurance that the entire complex will be utilised and not sat empty. We cannot allow such a significant estate in our town centre to become a ghost town."

Kingston Cllr Jamal Cohan corrected these claims, stating on X that Unilever will be using the Kingston site as a redevelopment centre.

However, the Unilever campus in Kingston is the UK and Ireland headquarters and not a redvelopment centre. The company has a redevelopment training centre in Coombe.

Unilever told Kingston Nub News that it will continue to use the KIngston campus as its UK and Ireland headquarters once the construction is complete.

Cllr Cohan also questioned what Unilever's decision to scrap the plans for relocating its global headquarters to Kingston will mean for local businesses and whether there will be less floor space in Kingston should the company occupy the entire campus.

I think the @Unilever decision is to keep their HQ in London and use Kingston as a development centre. Obviously Kingston HQ would have meant more footfall for local businesses. Wonder if this means less floor space or if they will still occupy the entire campus? From the @FT…

— Councillor Jamal Chohan (@CouncillorJamal) August 27, 2024

Unilever confirmed with Kingston Nub News today that it plans to work with its landlord to sublet the space it will not be using.

Construction for the Unilever Campus in Kingston is set to be complete in 2025.

It comprises three buildings: an 8-storey office building on Eden Street which is connected at ground floor and on sixth floor via a link bridge to another 10-storey office building on Brook Street.

There is a multi-storey car park for 350 cars and 490 bikes on St James Road, with full electric charging infrastructure and changing facilities to facilitate sustainable commuting, as well as a landscaped roof garden.

In a statement released by Unilever in December 2023, Richard Sharp, Head of Unilever UK, said: "This Campus will have global significance for Unilever, being home to around 2,000 employees but, more than that, it will be an iconic site for Kingston and for London. We are targeting stretching sustainability goals, both in the construction and the operation of the Campus, as well as employee wellbeing and smart technology accreditations."

Cllr Andreas Kirsch, Leader of Kingston Council said: "Unilever has confirmed they are fully committed to Kingston, with their new offices providing their UK and Ireland headquarters, as well as a number of other critical functions.

"Having a global brand pledge its future to the borough highlights what a fantastic place Kingston is to live, work, study and invest in.

"We are committed to boosting economic growth by attracting major new employers such as Unilever and providing high quality jobs. This scheme will bring huge opportunities for our local economy and for our residents, with thousands of jobs coming to the town centre, along with much needed top quality office accommodation in a state-of-the-art new building. It's fantastic to see it progressing towards completion."