Home Chef Announces Plan to Move Headquarters to Redeveloped Old Post Office

The company will occupy 74,000 square feet, joining several high-profile tenants

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Apr 23, 2019, 14:00 ET

CHICAGO, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Chef, one of the nation's leading meal kit companies, today announced plans to move its headquarters into the redeveloped Old Post Office this summer as it prepares to accommodate future team growth. Home Chef, which merged with The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) in 2018, will use the new space to accelerate growth and innovation, develop new products and expand the availability of current meal solutions.

"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 offers industry-leading variety with meal kits at different levels of preparation and cook times. The company has been rated the top meal kit in customer satisfaction* for two consecutive years, delivering more than 3.5 million meals per month. Home Chef meal kits are also available in more than 700 Kroger grocery stores in the United States, and the retail footprint will continue to grow in 2019.

The company has more than 750 employees in the Chicago area at its corporate offices in the historic Wrigley Building, satellite offices for the culinary and customer service teams, and at a state-of-the-art distribution center in the Chicago suburb of Bedford Park, IL. Additional Home Chef employees are based at the company's distribution centers in San Bernardino, CA and Atlanta, GA, which both opened in 2016.

Home Chef will move all its corporate teams to the Old Post Office, including marketing, technology, product, culinary, finance/HR, operations, and customer service employees.

"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."

"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 Gov. 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."

Pat Vihtelic, who sought a more convenient way to get a delicious dinner on the table after working long hours, founded Home Chef in Chicago in 2013.

"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 Pat Vihtelic, founder and CEO of Home Chef. "It's also an incredible food city, full of inspiration and talent at every level and across every function."

"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 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."

Vihtelic added, "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."

*Source: US Grocery Benchmark Study, 2017-2018, Market Force Information, Inc.

About Home Chef

Home Chef is one of the largest meal kit delivery companies in the U.S., with over 3 million meals delivered each month. Founded in 2013, Home Chef offers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy to follow recipes delivered weekly and is designed for anyone to be able to cook and everyone to enjoy. The Chicago-based company delivers nationwide. For two years running, Home Chef has been rated #1 in customer satisfaction among leading meal kit companies, according to Market Force Information U.S. Grocery Benchmark Study. Home Chef is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get cooking at www.homechef.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for live updates and delicious inspiration.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.