Power Home Remodeling is bucking the trend of office downsizing.
The home improvement company signed a deal for a substantial headquarters expansion in Chester, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported. The firm will occupy 65,000 additional square feet at the Wharf at Rivertown complex, expanding its presence to 250,000 total square feet.
The 12-year lease with building owner Philadelphia Union — the Major League Soccer team that plays in Chester — ranks among the region’s largest office deals since the pandemic; according to Avison Young, the transaction represents Eastern Pennsylvania’s biggest office lease completed since 2022.
Terms of the agreement were not made public.
Power intends to renovate the building’s Turbine Hall, converting the soaring space into a corporate training center. The redevelopment, overseen by Philadelphia-based Tantillo Architecture, will require a multimillion-dollar investment and an estimated two-year timeline.
Avison Young’s Brendan Kelley, who brokered the deal for Power, described the company’s approach as atypical for market conditions. He anticipates other businesses may follow similar expansion strategies as workplace dynamics continue evolving.
Power first established operations at the Wharf in 2011 with a much smaller footprint and has steadily increased its space since then. The historic 1916 structure underwent conversion from industrial use to office space in 2004 through renovation work by Buccini Pollin Group.
Power co-founder Adam Kaliner emphasized the company’s commitment to Chester, noting it maintained its local presence despite considering alternative locations. The firm expects to hire between 300 and 400 additional headquarters staff during the lease period.
The property’s proximity to Philadelphia Union sporting facilities creates an employment cluster along Chester’s waterfront that could encourage further commercial development in the area.
Brian Smyth and Cody Leher of CBRE represented the soccer team in lease negotiations.
The expansion contrasts sharply with regional market conditions. First-quarter data shows Delaware County with nearly 6.5 million square feet of available office inventory, according to Avison Young, accounting for more than 23 percent of total space.
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