Ferrero North America, part of the global confectionery company Ferrero Group, has recently unveiled plans to open an Innovation Center in Chicago’s Marshall Field and Company Building. 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 to be complete by spring of 2023.
The 45,000-square-foot facility will bring Ferrero’s R&D teams throughout the US and house employees from Ferrero’s Old Post Office location, who represent Fannie May, Nutella Café, Keebler, Famous Amos, Mother’s and other distinctive cookie brands in the Ferrero portfolio.
Ferrero’s goal for this space is to reflect the company’s unique heritage, and provide an opportunity to create unity among all of its teams. “This new space will foster the collaboration, creativity and culture that Ferrero is known for around the world,” says Todd Siwak, president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America. “I believe this innovation centre will propel our teams forward to become leaders in the sweet packaged foods category.”
The innovation centre, research and development lab, and offices at 24 East Washington will bring about 170 cross-functional team members to Chicago’s Loop neighbourhood.
“Chicago is a global destination for innovation. 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,” says Lori E. Lightfoot, Chicago Mayor.
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. The 169,000 square foot addition will be dedicated to producing Kinder Bueno bars and minis and represents the first time Kinder products will be made in North America.
In the past few years, Ferrero has opened new distribution centers in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona and expanded its North American headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey.
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