The company formally broke ground on its new city centre headquarters, which will be named Arsenal. The avenue Emile Reuter location was site of its former HQ, which is still in the process of being demolished. In 2023, 700 employees will work in the 9,700 square meter site.
“At one time, our staff was split up between eight buildings,” said Arnaud Jacquemin, CEO of Société Générale Luxembourg. “Today, we are still scattered across four buildings,” two on Boulevard Royal, one across from the central train station and one on Boulevard Prince Henri. “In 2023, we will only be divided between two locations.”
First presence in Belval
The second site will be the Icône building in Belval. “The objective will be to have two-thirds of employees in Belval and one-third at the head office,” Jacquemin said in an interview. The bank has not determined exactly which departments will be located in each building, but “certain employees, including management, will be required to work at both sites.”
Jacquemin said Belval was selected as it was increasingly difficult to find city centre locations, with total cost playing a role in the decision.
Société Générale has had a teleworking policy since 2017, which was accelerated by the pandemic. “The two new buildings will be specifically designed in line with a flexible vision of work,” said Laetitia Carrière, real estate and facilities manager at the bank. “Collaborate working space will go from 10% to more 30% of total surface area. When people come to the office, now it’s primarily for interacting, for working together.”
The company did not disclose its budget for the two new buildings.