Peapod Relocates Corporate HQ to Chicago

Online grocer Peapod is relocating its corporate headquarters to Chicago from Skokie, Ill. The move marks the company’s push for expansion after experiencing year over year growth across all of its markets.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Peapod yesterday to announce the company’s relocation to Chicago, where “the company can continue to expand, create new jobs and contribute to our growing economy."

Peapod’s new offices will reside in Chicago’s vibrant downtown area at 300 S. Riverside Plaza in the same building that houses Winsight Media. The 23-story Class A office building features 1.1 million square feet of rentable office space with a modern, collaborative environment designed for improved productivity. Peapod’s larger location and access to talent will help the company continue to grow, say company officials, while competing with the likes of Amazon and Instacart.

"Since Peapod was founded in Chicago in 1989 as the country's first online grocer, we have always considered this city our home," says Walt Lentz, acting president of Peapod. "Moving our headquarters downtown will allow us to become a bigger part of the Chicago business community and invest in the city's diverse pool of talent, while also growing our business throughout the country."

With the move, Peapod plans to continue supporting the Chicago community through increased involvement with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The company has long partnered with the food bank and will continue to do so through employee volunteering, fundraising and food donations.

"Every day we distribute 164,000 meals across Chicago," Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository said. "We can't do this alone, and we count on support from businesses such as Peapod. As a grocer, Peapod is a valuable partner and with their help, we'll continue to fight hunger in Chicago and work to ensure all of our neighbors have enough to eat."

All employees at Peapod’s current Skokie headquarters will be relocating to the new Chicago headquarters, which is expected to be complete in the spring of 2018. With the move, Peapod joins a number of other food industry leaders that have relocated to Chicago, including Conagra Brands, ADM, Mead Johnson, Kraft Heinz and Oscar Mayer.

Peapod offers online grocery delivery to both homes and businesses, and has more than 200 pick-up locations. The company’s service is available in 24 metro markets across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia.