Kering, the global luxury group that is the parent company of brands including Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Girard Perregaux, has opened its new, high-tech North American operations center in Wayne, New Jersey. The office replaces Kering’s former facility in Secaucus, New Jersey.
“Wayne is an incredible achievement for Kering Americas. The current pandemic presents numerous challenges, but our employees continue to persevere with creativity and resilience,” said Jean-François Palus, group managing director of Kering Group. “We have been given the opportunity to reflect, retool and react so that as we move forward, we can work better than ever before. The United States is a key country for the Group, and we are excited to not only better serve our clients in this market, but to further invest in this region and to attract the best talent.”
Some of the key tech features of the development include a Tech Bar and a Retail Lab to validate new in-store tech solutions in order to better manage retail and end users’ IT-related activities for the region. Designed by architecture firm HLW, the building’s interior blends elements of French style, simple materials and a neutral color palette to balance sophistication and warmth with the building’s industrial nature. Taking inspiration from Kering’s Paris office’s central courtyard, which anchors the flow of the workspace, HLW designed a 50-foot stadium staircase, which leads to a mezzanine level and cascades into the cafe, offering views out onto a nearby golf course though 24-foot-tall windows.
The operations center was designed for a LEED Gold certification and features sit-to-stand personal benches situated along the wall of windows that line the length of the building to ensure each employee is surrounded by natural light.
Completed in the summer, this construction project is the second largest structure in Wayne township and joins other redevelopment efforts in the area.
