Groupon is gobbling up more office space in Seattle, part of a plan by the daily deals juggernaut to hire more engineers in a region known for its retailing and e-commerce talent.
The Chicago-based company, which first arrived in Seattle in 2012, plans to take over 42,000 square feet of space in the 1201 3rd Avenue building in downtown. That’s enough room for 400 employees, up from about 300 employees that Groupon currently employs in Washington state.
“Groupon loves Seattle, and we needed a bigger space,” a Groupon spokesman tells GeekWire.
The company plans to make the move from its International District location to the new building next month.
The 55-story skyscraper at 1201 3rd Avenue is formerly known as the Washington Mutual Tower, and the building’s Web site indicates that it boasts “sweeping, unobstructed views of Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains and Downtown Seattle.” Opened in 1988, it is the second tallest building in Seattle.
Groupon has rapidly expanded its footprint in Seattle over the past four years, one of many large technology companies to establish engineering centers in the region. (See our list of engineering centers here).
Groupon’s Seattle operation is led by Vinayak Hegde, a former Amazon.com employee who now serves as senior vice president of global marketing at Groupon. While Groupon laid off 1,100 employee last September, it has continued to grow its presence in the Seattle area. The company — which boasts a market value of $1.7 billion — employed about 10,000 worldwide last year.
