The Wall Street Journal wrote last week that Alibaba’s IPO preparations were putting pressure on Boston’s growing e-commerce player. Mere hours later, Wayfair pulled a power move and filed its S-1, signaling that the home goods e-tailer’s public offering plans were still underway.
Wayfair's office expansion in Back Bay is still going down, too. The company snapped up four floors at 4 Copley Place for its new headquarters, which are down the street from the original office at 177 Huntington. (Some people still work out of the Huntington building, however, as well as an additional spot on Boylston Street.)
The reasoning behind the new, 120,000-square-foot location is obvious: More space for Wayfair’s seemingly ever-increasing staff. Around 900 people currently work for the home decor firm, with 20 to 25 newcomers being added each week.
While some companies in the Hub are fretting over acquiring young tech talent, Wayfair’s engineering intern program keeps a steady supply of students funneling into the company for the summer – and ultimately staying once they get diplomas. To keep up with the growth, the company even dedicated an entire floor of its new digs to on-boarding, employee training and in-house seminars.
And you best believe that the employees are working for Wayfair’s success in style. After all, the online decor company isn’t want for pretty furnishings and dapper interior designs.
Overall, Wayfair’s office is kind of like the sleek yet cozy studio apartment we always wished we had – except it’s a headquarters for a company that pulled nearly a billion in revenue last year and is aiming to raise a casual $350 million in its IPO.
A collection of patterned, plush chairs sit around the entryway, underneath two flat screens showing on a map what items Wayfair users are purchasing in real-time. Each of the four floors has its own fully-stocked kitchen with a decadent diversity of snack foods, from Pop-Tarts to pretzels. Meeting areas pepper each floor and have their own concepts – for example, the Punk-themed space offers a background of hot pink houndstooth and a pair of mod black and white chairs. Sparkling chandeliers dangle over internal staircases that connect one open workspace to the floor below.
We have to wonder if Wayfair’s additional offices – two facilities for customer service and training in Utah; a Kentucky warehouse space; and global outposts in Berlin, Galway, London and Australia – are just as chic.
For now, though, we’ll just be happy we can get a sneak a peek at Wayfair’s Boston base – and right before its IPO, to boot. So, resist the urge to put your feet up and ...
