I buy clothes once a year or so (if that). I run searches dozens, if not hundreds, of times per day. So on the whole, I’m rather pleased with this development: Google is taking over a San Bruno, California property formerly inhabited by Gap Inc.
“The search-engine giant will move an undisclosed number of employees to the building at 901 Cherry Ave. later this year or early 2008,” according to what Google spokeswoman Sunny Gettinger told The Examiner. Along with the number of people, the amount of square footage remains unknown.
We’re fairly certain of what the building will be used for, however; San Bruno already plays home to YouTube, and “[d]epending on market trends, the newly rented space will likely be home to YouTube,” Gettinger said. Since Google’s not shy about leasing real estate, the move probably relates more to YouTube’s ongoing growth than any particular plans for expansion.
Here’s a tidbit for you Gap fans, as well: online video, search, and/or or generally poor business hasn’t squeezed out the clothing retailer. “We own and lease a lot of property in and around the Bay Area,” said Gap Inc. spokesman Greg Rossiter. “Deciding to lease or sell property is something we do all the time. It happens for a variety of reasons.”
And so does Google’s growth. The Examiner article notes, “this may not be Google’s last move on the Peninsula as the company looks to make further inroads in the area.”
