CHICAGO – Hickory Farms, a retailer of branded specialty food gifts, announced that it has moved its headquarters from Toledo, Ohio, to Chicago.
The company, which recently celebrated its 65th anniversary, wants growth through new customer segments and new product offerings while expanding current sales channels. Those avenues include retail, wholesale, e-commerce and catalogs for consumer and corporate gifting.
“Our mission is to be the best retailer in the food-gifting space and to accomplish that, we need to focus on our strategic priorities,” said Diane Pearse, CEO. “The Chicago market is rich with retail companies, food manufacturers, and e-commerce businesses, so as we grow our business, we will be able to attract the additional talent we need to transform the company.”
Hickory Farms considered the advantages of creating a central hub that makes it more efficient to do business. The company’s key suppliers are in the Chicago area and Midwest region, and its distribution warehouse is in nearby Joliet, Illinois.
Hickory Farms was founded in Toledo by the late Richard Ransom, and the company will continue to maintain roots in its hometown, as some business functions will be run from a Toledo office. However, key business functions will move to Chicago, including senior leadership, marketing, product development and merchandising, and supply chain.
