Mondelez — maker of Oreos — ditches Deerfield headquarters for Chicago

The maker of Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Ritz crackers is relocating its headquarters to Chicago next year in another boost to the up-and-coming Fulton Market neighborhood.

Mondelez International will move about 400 jobs from north suburban Deerfield to its new Near West Side offices in 2020, the company announced Monday.

The snack maker signed a multiyear lease on a five-story building under construction at 905 W. Fulton, a mere two blocks away from Google’s office building and three blocks away from the McDonald’s headquarters.

“We sought a location that reflects our new, dynamic and more consumer-centric growth culture, and which will make existing and future colleagues proud to be working at the global headquarters of a $26 billion dollar global snacking leader,” Chairman and CEO of Mondelez International Dirk Van de Put was quoted as saying in a news release. “Fulton Market is an exciting part of the City of Chicago that has acquired a well-deserved reputation for world-class food. We’re privileged to be part of this rapidly-developing scene.”

Once the heart of Chicago’s meat-packing scene, Fulton Market is now home to swanky new condos, restaurants, bars and major cooperate headquarters.

“Mondelez joins a growing list of food and beverage companies relocating to Chicago, strengthening our place as a leader in the global food industry,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “I am confident this relocation will be a win-win for the company and our city, and we are looking forward to welcoming more than 400 members of the Mondelez International team to Chicago.”

One the other end of the move, Deerfield has had a year with offices moving in and out of the suburb.

In September, Takeda Pharmaceuticals announced it would close its Deerfield headquarters and relocate to Boston, affecting nearly 1,000 employees.

That came soon after Caterpillar Inc.’s new global headquarters became fully operational in Deerfield after a relocation from downstate Peoria. Caterpillar said it expected about 300 people to eventually work at the office.