After years of guiding the company from the its suburban seat outside Chicago, McDonald’s says it’s moving headquarters to a trendy neighborhood in the city’s downtown, in an apparent effort to attract younger talent to its ranks.
Like other companies with hopes of hiring that much sought-after demographic, millennials, Mickey D’s announced that it will move from its Oak Brook, IL headquarters (seen above) to the trendy West Loop area of Chicago by 2018.
“Moving our headquarters to Chicago is another significant step in our journey to build a better McDonald’s,” said McDonald’s President and CEO Steve Easterbrook. “This world-class environment will continue to drive business momentum by getting us even closer to customers, encouraging innovation and ensuring great talent is excited about where they work.”
The new headquarters will also house Hamburger University, one of the company’s seven locations that provides “a state-of-the-art learning center for the company’s future leaders and employees,” McDonald’s said.
McDonald’s isn’t alone in trying to capture the lightning of millennials in a jar: companies like General Electric and Weyerhaeuser are fleeing the suburbs for urban areas to appeal to a younger, hipper workforce, the Wall Street Journal notes.
It’s worth noting that the move is actually a return to the company’s roots: the Golden Arches were based in Chicago from 1955 to 1971, before moving out to the burbs.
“McDonald’s, welcome back to sweet home Chicago,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “McDonald’s has identified the keys to success to today’s global market, talent, technology, and access to transportation networks, and they recognize these as Chicago’s strengths. I’m proud to welcome them to our dynamic city.”
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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