Kao to Expand Germany Location to Largest European Site

Kao is extending its Darmstadt, Germany, headquarters into the corporation's largest European site. This news was announced by Karin Overbeck, president of Kao Germany, at a press conference with the Mayor of Darmstadt Jochen Partsch.

"In the future Darmstadt will be the place where we manage our successful Goldwell and KMS California hair professional brands and the location of development activities for our John Frieda and Guhl hair cosmetics brands," said Overbeck, adding that Kao's European functions will also be based in Darmstadt in the future. Darmstadt also will continue to be the headquarters of the Kao Salon Sector, where it has been located since 1989. "The decision in favor of Darmstadt is part of Kao's international growth strategy," Overbeck stated, and construction of the new company headquarters in Darmstadt will commence in fall 2012.

For the headquarters, Kao will construct a four-story building on Pfungstadter Strasse in Darmstadt-Eberstadt. The 4,000-square-meter office space there will house 330 staff members and will be designed with energy-saving standards, and the project represents a €15 million investment by the company. In conjunction with the Kao Research & Development departments and the production facility, this will make the Darmstadt location the largest Kao site in Europe.

Kao has promoted the integration of management of a range of beauty care products businesses across North America and Europe since January 2012 through a broad-based approach to a unification of management structures in each country. The Kao Group aims to accelerate global growth by better leveraging its combined resources across the company.

"As mayor and economic affairs officer, I expressly welcome Kao's decision to build its European headquarters in Eberstadt. It is a clear sign of the corporation's commitment to the cosmetics city of Darmstadt and it offers the opportunity of further growth," said Jochen Partsch, mayor of Darmstadt.

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