Pinterest has chosen one of the world’s most iconic retail destinations for its new UK headquarters, opening its doors at Oxford Circus in a deliberate statement of intent.
Greg Owens, vice president of international at Pinterest, said the decision to locate on Oxford Street was about sitting alongside the platform’s retail partners rather than retreating to a conventional tech postcode.
Neighbours now include Primark, Samsung, and H&M, brands that represent exactly the kind of retail ecosystem Pinterest says it exists to serve and connect with digitally.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan attended the opening and described it as a reflection of the “extraordinary optimism in [the UK’s] booming tech sector,” pledging to keep that momentum going.
Owens drew a personal parallel between Oxford Street’s famous shop windows and what Pinterest does at scale, arguing both exist to spark imagination, prompt ideas, and inspire real decisions.
The platform now counts 640 million monthly users worldwide, a figure that grew 11 per cent year on year, with revenue surpassing $1.1 billion in Q2 2026, up 18 per cent year over year.
Pinterest argues that the old framing of retail as bricks versus clicks is outdated, with the most successful retailers now connecting online discovery to in-store action as one seamless journey.
Oxford Street itself is undergoing significant change, with pedestrianisation works due to complete by October, creating what Pinterest sees as a genuine opportunity to showcase quality retail in the area.
The company this year launched a campaign under the tagline “Less URL, More IRL,” deliberately questioning whether a platform’s value should be measured by time spent on it or by what users go on to do in the real world.
That campaign generated over 75 million organic views at launch, suggesting the message about using technology with purpose rather than passively scrolling resonated widely with audiences.
Owens also flagged a podcast recommendation from Andy Burnham, now Prime Minister, who chose Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail for his first podcast interview since entering Number 10, a format built around failure rather than achievement.
Owens noted that the choice of a long-form personal podcast over a standard interview was, from a communications perspective, a strategically smart way for Number 10 to reach people directly.
Pinterest’s Oxford Street move ultimately represents the company’s broader confidence in London as a combined centre of retail, technology, and creativity, a bet placed firmly at W1.