Multinational establishes European headquarters in Rotterdam.
The Netherlands as European HQ was decided. The real question: which city, which building and which workplace fit the next 15 years?
The challenge
The multinational relocated its European headquarters from another EU member state to the Netherlands for tax and logistical reasons. Amsterdam was the default first choice, but the organisation had real concerns: tight talent markets, higher real-estate costs and the fact competitors already sat on Zuidas. Rotterdam was on the table, but no one in the executive team knew the city well enough to make a substantiated decision.
Our approach
We ran an objective location analysis across four cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. Criteria: talent pool for the specific functions, accessibility from Germany and Belgium (where most teams would come from), positioning relative to competitors, and 15-year real-estate outlook. Rotterdam emerged as the best option — stronger talent picture for the industrials sector, better value stability for large floorplates, and a central European location address. We then built the workplace concept around international governance (video-conferencing infrastructure, time zones, hospitality for international visitors).
The result
Two years in, the multinational has an operational European HQ in Rotterdam CBD. Recruitment is on track (540 of the 750-fte target filled); real-estate cost is 26% lower than the Amsterdam alternative at equal quality. The executive team reports Rotterdam is working better than expected, particularly for accessibility from Germany.
Key outcomes
“We had Amsterdam as an assumption. The analysis showed a fundamentally different reality for our specific situation.”
Anonymised client — details adjusted to protect identity.