TikTok steps up search for new Dublin headquarters

ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok unit is said to have identified five possible locations for a new headquarters in Dublin with space for about 2,000 workers, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Chinese tech firm is seeking about 200,000 square feet (18,580 square meters) of space initially, according to the person, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. TikTok plans to move staff into the new location before the end of this year, the person said, with the exact timing influenced by the progress of the pandemic.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said last month he had recently met with representatives from TikTok, and the company was still keen to locate a headquarters in Dublin. Among the locations under consideration are the newly constructed North Dock complex in the city’s financial center, as well as the Heuston South Quarter development. It is also assessing the Sorting Office in the south docklands.

The two other locations under consideration are currently occupied, but those tenants are preparing to leave, the person said.

If the TikTok leasing goes ahead, it will be a fillip to the Dublin’s office market, which struggled in 2020 amid the pandemic. Alphabet Inc.’s Google had planned to occupy the Sorting Office before abandoning the deal in September.

TikTok has sought space for as many as 5,000 staff in Dublin eventually. This letting if it goes ahead would be the first phase, the person said.

A spokesman for the company couldn’t immediately comment.

Dublin has become a magnet for technology firms in recent years. Google and Facebook Inc. have their European bases in the city, while numerous other companies including Twitter Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have significant presences there too.

The Business Post previously reported TikTok’s interest in the Sorting Office.