Pharma giant GSK is leaving Research Triangle Park and relocating to downtown Durham
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, once the largest land owner in Research Triangle Park, said Monday it is leaving its campus in RTP and relocating to an office in downtown Durham.
GSK will move to space at the American Tobacco Campus next year, a company spokesperson told The News & Observer.
The relocation, which will include a significant reduction in the amount of square footage GSK leases, is part of a company-wide re-evaluation of its office needs. With so many people working from home because of the pandemic, the company doesn’t expect all of its employees to work in the office daily any more. GSK does not operate any lab space in RTP, which often requires having employees work in person.
Before the pandemic, the GSK office in RTP usually housed around 1,300 workers a day, according to GSK. In 2017, the company still leased some 700,000 square feet of space in RTP, The News & Observer reported at the time.
At the American Tobacco Campus, GSK will lease 68,000 square feet of office space. It expects around 650 employees to work there daily going forward, due to some employees choosing to work from home.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have had an opportunity to re-evaluate, and ultimately redefine, the ways in which we work,” the company said in a statement. “The changes we are announcing today for our corporate hubs in North Carolina and Philadelphia align our offices with how we now function, offering flexibility for our people and optimally sized spaces where teams will continue to engage and thrive.”
The company stressed it is not reducing its headcount in North Carolina with the move. The company employs around 2,600 people in and near the Triangle, including at a manufacturing facility in Zebulon.
“GSK remains dedicated to North Carolina, where we have had a presence for nearly 50 years and where we have established important partnerships that support the community where we live and work,” a company spokesperson said. “This exciting next step to downtown Durham keeps us in proximity to top academic institutions and brings us even closer to its dynamic attractions and a bustling restaurant scene.”
GSK sold its campus in Research Triangle Park to Parmer Innovation Centers in 2017 — though after the sale it leased four of the 20 buildings that made up its campus there, The News & Observer previously reported.
Parmer has since renovated many of the former GSK buildings and turned them into multi-tenant lab and office buildings.
At the time of the sale, GSK said the decision to sell the campus was part of a decision to focus on leasing its offices rather than owning them.
GSK’s history in RTP dates to 1970, when Burroughs Wellcome, which later became a part of GSK, opened an office there.
In 1982, GSK established an office in RTP, and later it merged with Burroughs Wellcome.
In a statement, the Research Triangle Foundation, the not-for-profit that manages Research Triangle Park, said it was glad to see GSK promise to keep employees in the region.
“RTF is thrilled that GSK remains committed to the Triangle Region, and will continue its important partnerships in our university and business ecosystem,” spokeswoman Morgan Weston said in an email.
This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 12:00 PM.
