Burlington Stores to move longtime headquarters from NJ to Philadelphia
The retailer got its start in Burlington in 1972. Its new headquarters project is expected to create at least 2,000 jobs in Pennsylvania, while thousands of Burlington jobs will remain in New Jersey.
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Burlington Stores, the national retailer that got its start in Burlington more than 50 years ago, is moving its corporate headquarters from Burlington Township to Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania officials announced Thursday that Burlington plans to invest $370 million in a new headquarters at Schuylkill Yards in West Philadelphia. The project is expected to create at least 2,000 jobs in Pennsylvania over the next five years.
The company opened its first store in 1972.
Burlington currently lists its principal executive offices on Route 130 North in Burlington Township. The company operated 1,300 stores in 47 states as of Aug. 1.
Pennsylvania is committing $30 million in state funding to support the project. Philadelphia is also offering a $7 million forgivable loan and a Job Creation Tax Credit award.
"We are very excited to be relocating our corporate headquarters to Philadelphia," Burlington Stores CEO Michael O'Sullivan said. "We are one of the fastest growing retailers in America, and as we evaluated different options for our new corporate home, we were strongly attracted to the energy, talent, and infrastructure that Philadelphia has to offer."
It was not immediately clear what the relocation will mean for employees at Burlington's Burlington Township headquarters. News 12 has asked the company how many employees currently work there, how many are expected to move to Philadelphia and whether the relocation will result in any job losses in New Jersey.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill's office said it was disappointed by Burlington's decision.
"Gov. Sherrill has been clear that she is committed to making New Jersey the best place to start and grow a business, but right now, it is simply too hard to do business in our state," the governor's office said.
The New Jersey Business & Industry Association also called the departure a significant loss for the state, pointing to the loss of a major corporate headquarters, its executive presence and potential future job growth in New Jersey.
Despite the headquarters move, Sherrill's office said Burlington will continue to maintain "a significant presence and thousands of jobs" in New Jersey.
