Nestlé will move its U.S. headquarters to Virginia later this year, the company said in a news release.
The company, which has been in Glendale for 27 years, said the move to Rosslyn, Virginia, signals a commitment to investment and growth in the U.S. and its "leadership in responding to the rapid pace of change in the food industry with a new, more efficient structure and closer proximity to the bulk of its business and stakeholders," the company said. The company expects to bring 750 jobs to the D.C. area.
"With the food and beverage landscape continuing to transform at a rapid pace, Nestlé has been innovating and making strategic changes to the business over the past five years. This move is the next step in our evolution," said Paul Grimwood, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA in a statement. "We carefully considered a number of options and Arlington hits all the marks. Not only is it attractive to our current employees while offering a great talent pool for the future, but this location allows us to be closer to our business operations, our customers and other important stakeholders."
Company officials said 75 percent of Nestlé USA's factories and 85 percent of its top customers are in the eastern half of the United States.
Some 80 percent of the company's products are sold east of the Mississippi River, the company said in its news release.
There are 1,200 employees employed at the facility in Glendale, a spokeswoman said. Some 750 jobs to will go to the new Virginia headquarters, 300 will go to facilities in Ohio, and the remaining 150 will go to other Nestlé facilities, mostly to Purina in St. Louis, the spokeswoman said.
