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The basics:

• B&G Foods signs long-term lease at 8 Sylvan Way in Parsippany
• The HQ move consolidates operations into 46,000 square feet
• New office will feature a test kitchen and collaborative workspace
• Orion Properties redeveloping property with modern amenities

B&G Foods – the company behind brands including Green Giant, Ortega, Crisco and more – signed a long-term lease to move its North American headquarters in Parsippany.

JLL announced completing the deal for 46,000 square feet at 8 Sylvan Way April 28.

Owned by Orion Properties Inc., the food holding company will occupy the entire second floor as well as a portion of the third floor within the Class A building’s east wing. JLL said B&G will relocate before the end of 2025.

According to the announcement, JLL Project Development Services will build out the space on behalf of Orion. The new office will include a test kitchen for research, product formulation and quality control work.

Dating to the 1880s, B&G boasts more than 50 iconic brands and over 2,500 employees. Other recognizable labels on its roster include Skinnygirl, Cream of Wheat, Polaner and Maple Grove Farms. The company and its subsidiaries manufacture, sell and distribute shelf-stable and frozen foods.

A JLL team led by Executive Managing Director Tim Greiner and Senior Managing Director David Stifelman serve as exclusive leasing agents for 8 Sylvan Way and represented ownership in the B&G Foods lease. Cushman & Wakefield Executive Managing Director Josh Cohen and Vice Chair Ben Brenner represented the tenant.

Changing it up

The latest occupant comes as Orion preps to revamp 8 Sylvan Way. Investment Manager Steve Palmesi said the REIT “is pleased to welcome another distinguished tenant … as we advance our property’s comprehensive redevelopment plan and continue to find innovative ways to meet the demands of today’s tenants.”

Staying in Parsippany, B&G Foods will relocate from 4 Gatehall Drive, about a half-mile away, a spokesperson for the company told NJBIZ via email. Approximately 215 employees work out of the HQ; the office uses a hybrid schedule.

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The property previously underwent extensive renovations in 2009 to house The Medicines Co.’s executive offices, JLL said. Later acquired by Novartis, Orion set its redevelopment plans when The Medicines Co. vacated its space at the end of its lease in 2023.

The updates will transform the 166,039-square-foot space as a multi-tenant hub offering collaborative office, research or lab space.

JLL said Orion will wrap up its multimillion-dollar capital improvement plan at 8 Sylvan Way by August 2025. Other facets include: parking lot updates, EV charging stations, new landscaping and walking trails. Three on-site training and board rooms will also be renovated. The interconnected spaces feature new audio-visual technology with capacity for up to 350 people and access to the property’s café. In addition to lobby updates, the fitness center will receive new locker rooms and showers, JLL said.

Not just B&G Foods’ HQ

“Orion envisioned 8 Sylvan Way as a space where top-tier tenants would want to plant their flag. In a market flooded with outdated products, the property has been reimagined from a one-tenant asset into a superior multi-tenant destination,” Stifelman said.

LifeTime Fitness is due to open next door to 8 Sylvan Way, marking a redevelopment of former office space. Over 2 million square feet of office space has been removed from the Parsippany market over the past two years, the Daily Record reported. As outdated and underutilized space is razed, a flight to quality persists among those making moves in the office sector.

B&G marks just the latest tenant to commit to 8 Sylvan Way. Day Pitney LLP previously signed on for 56,000 square feet – a deal JLL also completed – and will relocate from 1 Jefferson Road in town Sept. 1.

The property offers a location at intersecting major roadways, including Interstates 80, 280 and 287; U.S. Routes 46 and 202; and local Routes 10 and 53. Additionally, the Morris Plains Train Station, with direct service to Manhattan, is five minutes away.

Orion continues to market 26,000 square feet of available space across the third floor of the east wing at 8 Sylvan Way as well as 26,000 square feet on the first floor of the west wing. The latter has its own entrance off the parking lot.