Global HQ for fast growing loungewear company completes

A 54,000 sq ft global headquarters for fast growing lingerie and loungewear etailer Lounge Underwear is now complete.

Interior design consultancy Office Principles has delivered the full fit-out of the ground and first floors of 1 Blythe Gate in Solihull, as part of the etailer’s ambitious plans to double its headcount over the next 12 months.

Known as ‘Lounge HQME’, the new headquarters will initially house more than 100 employees from Lounge Underwear’s head office departments including product, marketing, operations and creative, with capacity to cater for more than 500 staff in the future.

Lounge Underwear was co-founded in 2015, by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Melanie Marsden, with just £1,000 of the couple’s own money. It finished 2020 with revenues of £53m and profits of around £18m.

Lounge relocated from Bromsgrove to Blythe Valley Park nearly two years ago when it took 36,741 sq ft of space in the Connexion building for a head office and distribution centre.

It agreed a deal with landlord IM Properties on 1 Blythe Gate but will retain its presence in Connexion.

Melanie Marsden said: “Opening the doors to our new global HQME could not have come at a more poignant moment in Lounge’s history. Throughout the pandemic we have worked long and hard to design a destination for comfort, collaboration and a real sense of family, a space that can inspire innovation and handle the extreme pace of our global expansion and unprecedented growth. Retaining and attracting the very best talent to join us on our journey is a huge focus, and it’s safe to say that Lounge HQME is built to grab your attention the minute you step through the doors.”

Gary Tailby, joint managing director, Office Principles North, said: “Lounge HQME is a fun, vibrant and exciting workplace destination, with a huge sense of family at its heart. It delivers a smart, minimalist design, but one that’s packed full of interesting features and a whole host of different spaces, reflecting Lounge’s people orientated culture and a brand story built on hard work and ingenuity. It’s inspiring to see a Midlands-based business with global ambitions, that is generating many new job opportunities and offering its employees a truly great place to work.”