Citi downsizes Central office with move to East Kowloon
With rents in Central continuing to rise, more banks and financial institutions could move to East Kowloon or other commercial areas, says Citi’s Hong Kong head
The Hong Kong head of US giant lender Citi, Weber Lo has led the bank’s 3,200 strong team in the city to exit Central and other offices for a new hotspot office in Kowloon East, in a trend that its peers may follow as rising rents in the financial district show no signs of abating .
“I believe it would be a trend for other banks or financial firms to consider to move away from Central to Kowloon East or other new commercial areas to achieve a cheaper cost and for a better working environment for staff,” Lo told the South China Morning Post in his spacious office with a 270-degree seaview in Citi Tower in East Kowloon.
“This is comparable to London, there are many banks that have moved away from the traditional centre of London, and moved to Canary Wharf,” he said.
“Moving away from Central to Kowloon, which is our own property, not only reduces the cost, but more importantly, the move allows us to consolidate our five offices into two, housing all our staff under two roofs that enhances communication, operational efficiency and morale.”
Technology advancement and the change in the residential community in the past two decades since the handover of Hong Kong to China also made it possible for banks to move away from Central, Lo said.