United Rentals signs new HQ lease
STAMFORD — United Rentals, the world’s largest equipment-rental company, has signed a new headquarters lease at the First Stamford Place complex, the property’s owner announced this week.
The company has signed a direct lease for a full floor covering 51,194 square feet in the building at 100 First Stamford Place. The new lease runs through 2030, with United previously subleasing its current space on the seventh floor.
“Food, fitness, day care, close proximity to the Stamford Transportation Center and spaces for social connection are all right here at First Stamford Place,” Jeff Newman, senior vice president at Empire State Realty Trust, said in a statement. “The property serves as the ideal location for companies to recruit and retain employees from across the tri-state area.”
Messages left this week for United were not returned.
United has been headquartered at First Stamford Place since 2013 when it relocated its main offices from Greenwich. The property is yards from the downtown Metro-North Railroad station and Interstate 95’s Exit 7.
The company employs about 20,000 people who serve groups, including construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities and homeowners.
It operates nearly 1,300 rental locations across North America, including a depot a few blocks from its headquarters, as well as sites in Beacon Falls, Bloomfield, Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven and North Stonington.
In the first nine months of 2021, United produced revenues of nearly $7 billion, up 11 percent from the same period in 2020. It ranked No. 352 on last year’s Fortune 500 list of the companies with the highest annual revenues.
United represents one of three Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Stamford. The others are Charter Communications, the provider of Spectrum-branded services, and Synchrony, the country’s largest provider of private-label and storebrand credit cards. Last year, Charter opened a new headquarters at 400 Washington Blvd., a block from First Stamford Place.
Later this year, another Fortune 500 firm, tobacco giant Philip Morris International, plans to open a new headquarters at 677 Washington Blvd., a few blocks from First Stamford Place.
“It’s exciting that United Rentals is committing to long term investment in Stamford along with other Fortune 500 companies like Charter Communications, Synchrony, and most recently Philip Morris International,” Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said in a statement. “In addition to these large employers, Stamford is home to a network of fantastic small businesses, and our community will continue to foster growth from businesses of all sizes in the years ahead as we continue to grow our local economy.”
Covering more than 776,000 square feet of rentable space, First Stamford Place is one of Connecticut’s largest office complexes. In addition to United Rentals, its other tenants include CareCentrix, Crane, EY, Elizabeth Arden, Exela Technologies, Grant Thornton, Legg Mason, OdysseyRe, PartnerRe, TigerRisk Partners and Trexquant.