Asos has announced plans to increase the workforce at its London headquarters by 60% over the next three years.
As part of the plans to hire an additional 1,500 employees, the e-tailer will invest £40 million to revamp an additional 40,000 sq ft of space at its Camden headquarters, growing its overall space to nearly 250,000 sq ft. The investment will create a new technology-driven working space, where employees are encouraged to 'work anywhere'.
The new space has been designed by architects, Spacelab, and allows flexible working on any technology device. Spacelab has used its software to map people and product flow to design a space which allows people to move freely. Employees will be encouraged to work on mobile devices.
Asos CEO, Nick Beighton, said: "Our people are what make Asos special. We are creating a workspace that fosters creativity, where they can enjoy what they do."
The new space will house an Asos training academy, quiet-zone library, cafés and eating areas, as well as an auditorium for company-wide gatherings. A technology and concierge service will help the e-tailer's employees with their non-work related needs – Asos said the workspace will truly reflect the young ASOS staff ethic of “work hard and play hard”.
But the announcement comes after the e-tailer faced scrutiny in recent months, with criticism over working conditions in its Barnsley warehouse. Asos denied such allegations and said they were inaccurate and misleading.
In October, Asos reported a 26% increase in sales to £1.4 billion for its year ending 31 August 2016, while profits rose 37% to £63.7 million.
Looking to 2017, Beighton said his top digital priorities were visual search, voice search and artificial intelligence (AI).