NEW YORK CITY — Nomura Holding America Inc., the U.S subsidiary of Tokyo-based Nomura Holdings, Inc., has leased more than 900,000 square feet of space at Worldwide Plaza for its Americas headquarters.
The financial services company expects to relocate to its new home from its current headquarters at 2 World Financial Center in mid-2013. According to Cushman & Wakefield, which brokered the transaction for Nomura, this is the largest new office lease in Midtown Manhattan since 2004, when Bank of America took 1.1 million square feet at One Bryant Park.
In all, Nomura has leased 20 full floors in the 1.8 million-square-foot, Class A office tower, which occupies the entire westerly blockfront of Eighth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets. The company is taking 10 vacant floors as well as 10 floors currently occupied by Universal Music Group, which is leaving the building at the end of the year.
Developed by William Zeckendorf, Jr. and completed in 1989, the property was designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The building has three separate lobbies around a center core design, allowing large corporate tenants the opportunity for private entrances leading to large blocks of space.
WWP Office, LLC, owns the property, which is a partnership comprising George Comfort & Sons, RCG Longview and DRA Advisors.
The lease affords Nomura a headquarters location that will help to continue to grow its U.S. presence, said Atsushi Yoshikawa, president & CEO Nomura Holding America Inc.
According to Peter Duncan, president and CEO of George Comfort & Sons, the Nomura lease brings Worldwide Plaza to over 95 percent occupancy. Asking rents at the property are in the mid-50’s range.
John Cefaly, Rob Lowe, Clark Finney and Anthony Pasqual of Cushman & Wakefield, together with Ed Donery and David Heller of C&W’s Transactions Group, represented Nomura in the 20-year leasing transaction while Duncan and George Comfort & Sons Executive Vice President Matt Coudert represented the building ownership.
— Dan Marcec