Mars Wrigley is set to break ground on a new $40 million innovation center in Chicago.
The facility, which will serve as a research and development hub for the candy giant, will be located adjacent to its existing space at Goose Island. The facility will create an additional 30 jobs and will bring its Mars campus total to nearly 1,000 employees on Goose Island.
Construction on the space, which is expected to cost approximately $40 million, the company said, will begin this summer. The facility is expected to be completed by summer 2023. It will be Mars' largest innovation hub in the world, the company said.
Mars, the maker of M&M's, Snickers, Twix and other well-known snack treats, says the new facility will help it develop new products for the company.
Mars' other Illinois operations include an ice cream facility in Burr Ridge and a manufacturing site in Chicago where it makes Snickers and others chocolate bars.
"Chicago is ever-growing and emerging as a leader in innovation and technology," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. "Mars is the latest among many companies who are recognizing our city's strengths and unmatched talent and expanding operations here."
The news of Mars' R&D hub comes just after Milwaukee Tool announced the opening of its new 70,000-square-foot office in the Old Post Office building. The innovation center includes lab space for design and development.
