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Search engine Google has opened a sales and marketing office for

the UK.

According to Omid Kordestani, Google's vice-president of business

development and sales, Google UK will focus on sales and business

development activities for advertising as well as search services

businesses.

The Soho Square office will be staffed with an emphasis on low headcount

and minimal management staff, according to Kordestani.

He said that the office, which is led by industry veteran Kate Burns,

has been busy meeting key agencies and customers, and has signed a

number of clients.

He is also confident that the UK will yield significant revenue despite

the ad downturn and softening global economy.

"The UK is a distinct market; we don't view this market as just an

extension of the US business, nor do we see Europe as one market," he

said. "Our ultimate objective for our UK office is to serve the needs of

our UK customers.

We have several classes of customers: end-users of Google.co.uk;

advertising agencies and clients; and our search services customers.

There are many considerations for each of our businesses to

appropriately serve our UK customers."

Google.co.uk has been running since August. Google is promoting the site

as a standalone venture and is planning a marketing push in the final

quarter of this year.