Huawei inks deal for new UK HQ in Reading

Chinese vendor to move into 140,000 sq ft office in Green Park business complex in April

Huawei has begun to make good on its £1.3bn investment pledge in the UK with an agreement to move into a 140,000 sq ft local headquarters in Reading.

The new digs are located at 300 South Oak Way at the Green Park complex in the Berkshire town. The building is controlled by Oxford Properties and the Chinese vendor is scheduled to move in next April.

Victor Zhang, chief executive of Huawei Technologies UK, said: "This move marks the beginning of an exciting new period of development for Huawei in the UK. We opened our first office here in 2001 and the decision to move to a new headquarters reinforces our long-term commitment to the UK."

Huawei recently unveiled plans to invest £650m in its UK operation and spend the same amount on procurement in this country. Included in the plans is a pot of cash to allow it to increase its headcount in the UK from 800 to 1,500 by 2017.

Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West, welcomed the Green Park announcement as great news for the constituency.

"Huawei is providing important investment to the UK and creating hundreds of new jobs for Reading and Green Park, demonstrating once again that Reading is an economic powerhouse in the south-east," he added.