Ferrero North America will open an Innovation Center in Chicago's historic Marshall Field and Co. Building.

The 45,000-sq.-ft. 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.

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.

"Our goal for this space is to reflect Ferrero's unique heritage and provide an opportunity to create greater synergies among our teams," said Todd Siwak, president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America. "This new space will foster the collaboration, creativity and culture that Ferrero is known for around the world. 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 approximately 170 cross-functional team members to Chicago's Loop neighborhood.

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 2023.

"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."