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After three years in the making, Lowe’s officially opened its $153 million South End Tech Hub Center on Tuesday with a media tour.
It is expected to house around 2,000 employees as the home improvement giant emphasizes the growth of its digital business.
The Mooresville-based home improvement retailer occupies the entire 23-story building at 100 W. Worthington Ave., said Randy Alexander, director of technology business management at Lowe’s, during a tour on Tuesday. told the Charlotte Observer.
Other retailers include apparel stores Allbirds, Outdoor Voices and the upcoming Brown Bag Seafood Co. on the ground floor.
In August, one year after Lowe’s sign was hung on the South End building, more than 1,000 employees began working from the 357,000-square-foot site.
It’s been three years since developers Childress Klein and RAM Realty Advisors broke ground on their office tower. Lowe’s was due to move in late last year, but the pandemic has caused multiple construction delays.
Lowe’s has leased the building for 15 years.
call the south end home
Technology will play an important role in Lowe’s future, Chief Digital Information Officer Seemantini Godbole told Charlotte Observe. According to her, Lowe’s CEO, Marvin Ellison, emphasizes that good retailers have better technology for employee and customer experiences.
Godball points to the Lowe’s store on Iverson Way as seen from his office, with 28 stores and 11,000 employees in the Charlotte area, making the South End’s vibrant community attractive to tech workers. I said yes.
“We wanted to be where they are and to attract the best talent,” she said. increase.”
According to Alexander, patronizing local businesses is part of the center’s design. For example, instead of in-house cafeterias like Mooresville headquarters and coffee shops, the South End has plenty of places to eat, drink and shop, he said.
“We want our peers to be involved in the community,” he said.
Across the street, Tex-Mex Restaurant Superior, has already become a lunchtime favorite with a large group of Lowe’s employees, said general manager Scott Lilly. He expects business to pick up as more employees work at the hub.
In Charlotte, fintech competition is heating up between companies like Lending Tree on Vantage Park Drive less than a mile away and Credit Karma in Ballantyne.
Lowe’s tech hub center positions include data analysts, software and infrastructure engineers, with an average annual salary of over $117,000.
Inside Lowe’s new Tech Hub Center
Several Charlotte tech companies, such as Lending Tree and Credit Karma, have perks like full-time baristas, game rooms and bars. Lowe’s Tech Center also offers a range of amenities.
Unobstructed views of the Charlotte skyline can be enjoyed from every floor.
The industrial interior design pays homage to Loews Home Depot, with a central atrium throughout the building. The cafeteria area has a do-it-yourself feel with an open kitchen environment with plants for sale at the Loews store.
According to Alexander, the top four floors are considered amenity spaces, with a mix of workstations, casual seating and collaborative work pod areas. Every other floor has a large demonstration area or a large café space.
Employees can take breaks to enjoy games such as table tennis, Xbox, and air hockey. Or step into the quiet room and lie down or perch in one of his two massage chairs.
Combining art and technology, employees can use their mobile phones to take self-guided tours of 15 murals in the building and learn about the artists and paintings.
Employees can also write on a section of the wall painted with whiteboard paint.
A 168-seat two-story auditorium stage is used for town halls including karaoke, large conferences, and vendor partner visits such as Google Cloud. There is a huge screen with the Uptown Charlotte skyline in the background.
The top floor houses boardrooms and executive offices, Godball-like executive offices, and a terrace with views of uptown Charlotte. A large-scale community event space with a huge screen overlooking Noda.
There is also a “usability lab” for test marketing. For example, using Magic Her Mirror to monitor where customers using your website move their gaze on your site..
what they do in the tech office
Lowe’s Tech Center employees research AI and machine learning to better serve their customers.
For example, this year Lowe’s launched a “Measure Your Space” program. Customers can use their mobile phones to scan rooms, get floor plans, room dimensions and individual quotes, then order flooring all at the same time.
On Tuesday, Innovation Lab employees showcased an interactive technology that uses augmented reality glasses to provide 3D visualizations of real store shelves. This technology helps plan product placement and track customer and employee inventory.
“What we really wanted to do,” Godball said.It was about creating a place where technical people could work together and imagine. “
This story was originally published October 18, 2022 at 4:27 PM.
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