Glaxo Wellcome Moves R&D And Other Units

Speculation that the existing historic Wellcome research center at Beckenham, Kent, in the UK, once the home of founder Sir Henry Wellcome, would be closed, with the 1,5550 employees located there either being made redundant or being moved to Stevenage, where Glaxo has recently completed a major, L700 million-plus ($1.12 million-plus) new research complex, was confirmed with an announcement from the newly-formed Glaxo Wellcome last week. Reliable sources say the fate of the researchers will be known by September

Glaxo Wellcome stated that UK research will be undertaken at Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and UK development will be principally at Ware and Greenford, Middlesex, which means that the former Wellcome site will be closed, over a period of three years. The group's worldwide headquarters will be located at Greenford, as will the headquarters of Glaxo Wellcome Research and Development, and the existing Glaxo headquarters in Lansdowne House, central London, will be vacated. A decision has already been taken to close down Wellcome's former headquarters on London's Euston Road.

The decisions follow the merger of Glaxo and Wellcome and reflect the stated intention of achieving efficiencies, generating synergies and eliminating duplication, according to the company. All existing manufacturing UK sites will continue to have an important role in the group's manufacturing capability, it added. However, a review of the new group's manufacturing strategy and capacity requirements continue, and announcements about manufacturing sites worldwide are expected during the coming months.