Ferrero Chooses Chicago's Historic Marshall Field Building for New Innovation Center with Strategic R&D Lab

New confectionery and sweet packaged foods products will be developed in the new 45,000 square foot Innovation Center, which will also bring together Ferrero teams from across the U.S.

PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferrero North America, part of the global confectionery company Ferrero Group, today announced plans to open an Innovation Center in Chicago's Marshall Field and Company Building. The new 45,000 square foot facility will bring together Ferrero's R&D teams throughout the U.S. and also house employees from Ferrero's Old Post Office location representing Fannie May, Nutella Café, Keebler, Famous Amos, Mother's, and other distinctive cookie brands in the Ferrero portfolio.

"Our goal for this space is to reflect Ferrero's unique heritage and provide an opportunity to create greater synergies among our teams. This new space will foster the collaboration, creativity and culture that Ferrero is known for around the world," said Todd Siwak, President, and Chief Business Officer of Ferrero North America. "I am proud of our growing footprint in Illinois and strongly believe that this innovation center will propel our teams forward to become leaders in the sweet packaged foods category."

The new innovation center, R&D lab, and offices, located on the eighth and ninth floors at 24 East Washington, will bring about 170 cross-functional team members to Chicago's Loop neighborhood.

"We are thrilled to join Ferrero as it announces that Chicago will be home to the company's first innovation center in the United States," said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. "Chicago is a global destination for innovation and Ferrero will be well-placed here, benefitting from the city's connectivity to the world and its strong network of companies driven by tech and innovation. I congratulate Ferrero on this move and welcome them to Chicago as I look forward to more companies realizing Chicago's incredible potential." 

The announcement is the latest in a series of milestones in Ferrero's growth in North America. The company is building a chocolate processing facility and a new plant to make Kinder Bueno products in Bloomington, Illinois and is expanding capacity in its Brantford, Ontario plant. In the past few years, it has opened new distribution centers in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona and expanded its North American headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey.

The move will take place over two phases, with all current Ferrero Chicago employees moving to a temporary office space while construction is completed on the final space. The final office at the Marshall Field & Co. building is set be complete by Spring of 2023.

24 E. Washington Street (the Marshall Field and Company Building) is operated by Brookfield Properties. The iconic property is a Chicago Landmark, a National Historic Landmark, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978. Ferrero was represented in the lease transaction by Andy Strand and Todd Mintz of JLL.  Brookfield Properties was represented by Jack O’Brien, Daniel Heckman and Caroline Colnon of The Telos Group.

About Ferrero
For over 70 years, Ferrero has created products loved by generations. We've grown from a bakery in Alba, Italy into the third largest confectionery company in the world. Ferrero entered the North American market in 1969 and continues to spread joy with Ferrero Rocher®, Nutella®, Kinder®, Tic Tac® and Fannie May® chocolates. Ferrero Group expanded its portfolio in 2018 with the addition of Butterfinger®, CRUNCH®, Baby Ruth®, 100Grand® and other legendary chocolate brands.

We're proud to be a family-owned company with 3,000 employees in eight offices and ten plants and warehouses in North America, including a cocoa processing plant in Brantford, Ontario and a planned chocolate processing factory in Bloomington, Illinois. Instilled in every aspect of our business is the entrepreneurial spirit of our founders, and their passion for quality, creativity, and innovation.  Follow @FerreroNACorp on Twitter and @FerreroNACorp on Instagram. www.ferreronorthamerica.com

About Brookfield Properties
Brookfield Properties is a leading global developer and operator of high-quality real estate assets. We are active in nearly all real estate sectors, including office, retail, multifamily, hospitality and logistics, operating more than 800 properties and over 375 million square feet of real estate in gateway markets on behalf of Brookfield Asset Management, one of the largest asset managers in the world. With a focus on sustainability, a commitment to excellence, and the drive for relentless innovation in the planning, development and management of buildings and their surroundings, Brookfield Properties is reimagining real estate from the ground up. For more information, visit www.brookfieldproperties.com.

About 24 E. Washington Street (The Marshall Field and Company Building)
In 2021, Brookfield Properties completed a major restoration and overhaul of the iconic Marshall Field building – 24 E. Washington Street -- the seven-story, 636,000-square-foot building into a unique and modern office property with 15-foot ceilings and oversized windows. The adaptive reuse of the historic building resulted in significant energy efficiency and other environmentally sustainable gains, as well as a lower carbon footprint than what demolition and new construction would have yielded. The building is centrally located with easy transportation access, including proximity to all seven CTA lines, the Metra, connections to both airports, and Ogilvy and Union Stations. It is steps from Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park.

About JLL 
JLL is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. JLL shapes the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $19.4 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 100,000 as of March 31, 2022. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.

CONTACT: Kelsey McGeough, [email protected]

SOURCE Ferrero North America