EY Ireland has begun its search for a new headquarters in Dublin city centre as it eyes further expansion in the Republic.
On Monday, property agent Knight Frank, which is overseeing the process on the Big Four firm’s behalf, issued a request for proposals to real-estate advisers and potential vendors. The accountancy and consulting giant wants to weigh its options in advance of the expiration of leases on its current Harcourt Street base in 2027.
EY Ireland currently occupies 100,000sq ft in a cluster of offices in the area near the Harcourt Street Luas stop, which it leases from the Kenny family’s Clancourt Group. It has had a presence in the area since 1992. With the majority of these leases terminating at the same time in 2027, EY has started what is likely to be a lengthy process.
It is expected the new headquarters will be larger than the space EY currently occupies in the capital but the final size requirements will be established only once a detailed brief has been completed.
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EY is understood to be looking for a premium, modern office building that meets the highest environmental and sustainability standards, is accessible and has access to public transportation links in a city-centre location.
The firm, which employs 4,500 people in Ireland, has been in expansion mode of late and said in April that it was “well on the way” to filling 900 new roles announced last November, aimed at growing its headcount to 5,100. It is understood that EY is looking for a landmark office in the city centre to cater for these growing staff numbers.
Two of EY’s Big Four rivals in the capital, Deloitte and KPMG, have initiated similar processes in recent times.
In March, Deloitte announced that it had chosen Irish Life’s building at 1 Adelaide Road in Dublin 2 as its preferred location for a new headquarters in the capital. It will offer about 160,000sq ft of space to Deloitte, which had been planning a move before the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift to hybrid working that it kick-started. Previously it had sought 275,000sq ft, Deloitte chief executive Harry Goddard said at the time, before scaling back its plans somewhat.
KPMG, meanwhile, is expected to move into new headquarters in 2026 at the former Garda Dublin regional headquarters at Harcourt Square. The scheme is being delivered by Hibernia Real Estate Group with John Paul Construction having been appointed as the main contractor.
