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New RBS headquarters
14/09/2005
The Royal Bank of Scotland's new global headquarters was officially opened today in Gogarburn, near Edinburgh.
First Minister Jack McConnell said:
"Building world-class Scottish companies that are competitive across global markets is a central part of our strategy for developing a modern and prosperous Scottish economy. The Royal Bank of Scotland is a perfect realisation of that ambition.
"Their commitment to a headquarters in Scotland confirms that we are creating the right business environment to attract and retain the headquarters of globally successful companies.
"The state of the art offices here in Gogarburn are a fitting home for RBS and a real tribute to the quality and skills of their Scottish workforce."
Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen, who was also at the official opening ceremony, said:
"Scotland is recognised as one of Europe's leading financial centres. The sector is a power house of the Scottish economy, and RBS is right at the heart of this success story.
"Our success in financial services can be attributed to companies like RBS, and to the professionalism of its staff."
The RBS Headquarters was officially opened today by Her Majesty The Queen.
The Gogarburn site was bought by RBS in June 2001. Proposed designs for the development of a campus - style global HQ were unveiled in February 2002, and in September 2002 planning permission was granted. Site work began almost immediately. The two - year building project has involved a workforce of more than 7,000 people. The building was completed in Spring 2005, ahead of schedule, enabling the first staff to move into their new offices in July 2005. The building is now fully occupied.
The campus's main building is designed around a central indoor "street" providing services and facilities for the 3,000 staff (max 3,250 capacity) who work at Gogarburn. Supporting buildings in the surrounding grounds include the Grade B listed Gogarburn House, now converted into a leisure club for staff. The house's stable block, also listed, has become a nursery, while the original garden wall behind it now encloses modern sports pitches. Nearby, a newly - built conference centre has been equipped to cater for up to 300 delegates.
Staff who are based at Gogarburn are mainly from the existing HQ at St Andrews Square, Edinburgh and other RBS offices around Edinburgh will remain operational. RBS will maintain its traditional branch at St Andrews Square.
- The Royal Bank of Scotland was founded in 1727 and is now one of Europe's leading financial services groups. It is the second largest bank in the UK (HSBC is the largest) and ranks fifth in the world. In March 2000, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group completed the acquisition of NatWest, in a £21 billion deal that was the largest takeover in British banking history. It has 2,270 UK branches and currently employs over 140,000 staff worldwide, 18,000 of these in Scotland. Staff numbers increased by 15,700 worldwide in 2004. In the year ended 31 December 2004, the Group increased its profit before tax by 14% to £6,917 million. Total income was up 18% to £22,754 million.