Goldman Sachs dispels Brexit doubts with £1.17bn deal on London HQ

Multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs has signalled its commitment to the UK as it leaves the EU by signing a £1.17bn deal on its London base.

The US-headquartered firm has agreed to sell its new Plumtree Court office to South Korea’s National Pension Service and then lease the property for 20 to 25 years.

Goldman Sachs, which employs 6,000 people across three sites in the city, plans to move into the building next year.

Plumtree Court spans 826,000 sq ft over 10 storeys and has space for 8,000 staff.

But before today (August 23), the future of Goldman Sachs’ new London HQ was in doubt ahead of Britain’s departure from the European Union.

The investment bank’s chief executive was among those calling for a second Brexit referendum, Sky News reported.

Goldman Sachs International chief exec Richard Gnodde said: “The development of Plumtree Court and our signing of a long-term lease demonstrates our continued commitment to London and our European operations more broadly.”

According to Reuters, the head of global real estate at the Korean National Pension Service, Scott Kim, called Plumtree Court one of the capital’s “finest office buildings”.

Mr Kim said: “We are excited to re-enter into the London market with this high-quality asset.”