With the popularity of meal kits on the rise, Kroger is ready and eager to take that sales bump all the way to the bank—or post office, in this case. The company has announced plans to move its recently acquired Home Chef brand into a new headquarters in the redeveloped Old Post Office in Chicago. Taking place later in 2019, the company hopes that the new location will accommodate team growth. Home Chef will use the new 75,000-square-foot space to develop new products, expand the availability of current meal solutions, and accelerate growth and innovation. 84.51°, a Kroger-owned marketing agency will join Home Chef in the Old Post Office, occupying 57,000 square-feet of the new space.
"The growth we are seeing in both our e-commerce and retail channels has led to expansion in all areas of the business," said Patrick Sullivan, CFO of Home Chef. "It's important to us to have a space where we can continue to attract and retain top talent, while always remaining focused on our core commitment to our customers. We aim to deliver the best possible experience to anyone who wants an easy, convenient, and delicious answer to the dinner-time dilemma."
Home Chef delivers over 3.5 million meals per month and, according to a press release, was rated the top meal kit in customer satisfaction for two consecutive years. After its $200 million acquisition by Kroger in 2018, Home Chef kits are available in more than 700 Kroger locations in the U.S., and plans are already underway to continue to grow its retail footprint in 2019.
"We're looking forward to bringing our whole corporate team back under one roof," said Sullivan. "As we are growing, we are identifying more opportunities to work cross functionally and believe that the Old Post Office, steeped in Chicago history, is the right space for us to do that."
Home Chef’s current Chicago headquarters in the Wrigley Building, satellite offices for the culinary and customer service teams, and state-of-the-art distribution center in Bedford Park, IL, house over 750 employees. Even more Home Chef employees operate out of the company’s distribution centers in San Bernardino, CA, and Atlanta, GA, both of which opened in 2016.
"With our thriving tech and business communities, the State
of Illinois is the proud home of countless entrepreneurs and startups, and we're thrilled to have Home Chef among the companies founded and growing roots here," said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. "Innovators know that our top talent, world-class universities, and transit systems make us highly competitive and will support the growth of their businesses and our entire economy. As a businessman, I'm excited to see businesses grow, and we're excited for Home Chef's future in Illinois."
Founder and CEO, Pat Vihtelic, started Home Chef in 2013 while he was searching for a better way to get delicious, healthy meals on the dinner table after working long hours. The company was founded in Chicago, and its love affair with the city is still going strong.
"Chicago has become a real hub for technology and marketing with the arrival of some of the world's most innovative companies over the past few years," said Vihtelic. "It's also an incredible food city, full of inspiration and talent at every level and across every function. We are proud of our own history in Chicago and with an ambitious growth and expansion plan this year, we look forward to continued success at our new headquarters."
Chicago, it seems, is as happy to house the company’s headquarters as Home Chef is to be there.
"The Old Post Office is no longer just a vacant relic of
Chicago's past, it is the new home of thriving companies that are contributing to our city's future," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "We are proud to welcome Home Chef to the growing list of organizations putting down new roots in the Old Post Office."
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