Beam Suntory to move HQ to Merchandise Mart

Liquor company Beam Suntory plans to move its global headquarters to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart by the end of 2017.

The Deerfield company said Monday it will move about 450 employees to the Merchandise Mart beginning later this year. It has agreed to lease 110,000 square feet of office space.

“Locating our people amidst the energy of a city like Chicago will be invigorating and make us an even better business as we pursue our ambitious long-term growth objectives,” Beam Suntory Chairman and CEO Matt Shattock said in a news release.

“Our people will benefit from Chicago’s excellent transportation options, and we’ll be closer to a diverse pool of talent that we’ll tap into as we grow in the future.”

The employees moving to Chicago work in areas such as marketing, sales, finance, legal, human resources, IT, supply chain and communications.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 after Japan’s Suntory Holdings paid $16 billion for Beam, the maker of Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark alcohol brands. Suntory’s portfolio of spirits included whiskies such as Yamazaki and Hakushu as well as Midori liqueur and other beverages.