The new Shiseido R&D Center will open its doors in 2018 in Yokohama, Japan

Shiseido will build a new research and innovation facility in Yokohama. The new center is expected to start operating by the end of 2018. Shiseido has scheduled a progressive increase of its R&D investments from the current 1.8% of net sales to reach 2.5% by 2020. Simultaneously, the number of researchers employed by the Japanese company worldwide should increase from 1,000 now to 1,500 by 2020.

Shiseido has conceived its new R&D centre as an open forum where customers, marketers, and researchers would mingle on a daily basis. The company’s intention is to create an “urban open lab” creating value through direct exchanges with active consumers and integrating a large variety of expertise.

The new R&D centre will be located at 2-52 Takashima 1-chome, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi in the Minato Mirai 21 District, close to the port. The 16 floor building (14 floors above ground and 2 floors below ground) will offer a total floor space of 57,000 sqm. The estimated cost is 30 to 40 billion yens (250 to 330 million dollars or 230 to 310 million euros).

The company’s intention is to create an “urban open lab”.

Efficient energy will also be a key feature of the new building, Shiseido aiming to obtain the highest rank under CASBEE Yokohama (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency of Yokohama City).