News International To Sell 'Fortress Wapping' Headquarters

News International To Sell 'Fortress Wapping' Headquarters
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News International is to sell its Wapping headquarters, the company has announced.

The 15-acre site has been News International's home for 25 years, but much of its office space has been empty in recent months after a partial move to the nearby Thomas More Square. The company relocated its printing operation to regional centres in 2005.

There had been speculation that the company would redevelop the Wapping site, but the company has decided instead to sell the property.

In a statement News International said: "The majority of News International's Wapping-based editorial and commercial staff have now relocated into Thomas More Square with the remainder to be relocated by the end of 2011."

'Fortress Wapping', as the building is nicknamed, was the site of a ferocious battle with trade unions after the company moved from its former Fleet Street home in 1986.

It was also the home of the News of the World newspaper, before its closure earlier this year following the phone hacking scandal.