Ferrero North America will open a 45,000-square-foot innovation center in Chicago’s Marshall Field and Co. Building.

The new facility, announced July 14, will bring together the candy giant’s research and development teams throughout the U.S. and also house employees from Ferrero’s Old Post Office location, including Fannie May, Nutella Café, Keebler, Famous Amos, Mother’s and other brands in the company’s portfolio.

“Our goal for this space is to reflect Ferrero’s unique heritage and provide an opportunity to create greater synergies among our teams. This new space will foster the collaboration, creativity and culture that Ferrero is known for around the world,” said President and Chief Business Officer Todd Siwak in a prepared statement. “I am proud of our growing footprint in Illinois and strongly believe that this innovation center will propel our teams forward to become leaders in the sweet packaged foods category.”

The new innovation center, R&D lab and offices will bring about 170 Ferrero employees to Chicago’s Loop neighborhood.

“We are thrilled to join Ferrero as it announces that Chicago will be home to the company’s first innovation center in the United States,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “Chicago is a global destination for innovation and Ferrero will be well-placed here, benefitting from the city’s connectivity to the world and its strong network of companies driven by tech and innovation. I congratulate Ferrero on this move and welcome them to Chicago as I look forward to more companies realizing Chicago’s incredible potential.”

The announcement comes after years of growth and expansion throughout North America for Ferrero, including new distribution centers in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, and an expansion at its Parsippany headquarters. The company is also building a chocolate processing facility and a new plant to make Kinder Bueno products in Bloomington, Ill., as well as expanding capacity at its Brantford, Ontario, plant.

The office at the Marshall Field & Co. building, which is operated by Brookfield Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places, is set be complete by spring 2023.

Ferrero was represented in the lease transaction by Andy Strand and Todd Mintz of JLL. Brookfield Properties was represented by Jack O’Brien, Daniel Heckman and Caroline Colnon of The Telos Group.