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The basics:

• Unilever relocates North American HQ to Hoboken‘s Waterfront Corporate Center
• New 110,000-square-foot office designed for hybrid work, collaboration
• Features professional kitchen, salon, wellness spaces, sustainability elements
• Move reinforces Hoboken as a hub for innovation and talent

Consumer goods giant Unilever officially moved its North American headquarters from Englewood Cliffs to Hoboken.

Located at Waterfront Corporate Center, the 110,000-square-foot space aims to support a “strategic shift toward a more collaborative hybrid work environment.”

Spanning three floors, the new office brings together 1,100-plus employees from key business units and corporate functions. Besides floor-to-ceiling glass windows with sweeping New York City views, the Perkins&Will-designed space boasts several unique features, such as:

• European-style professional kitchen for Unilever Food Solutions

Allowing chefs to focus on recipes featuring ingredients from its Knorr and Hellmann’s brands

• A full-service salon where employees can get their hair cut

Showcasing beauty brands like Dove, TRESemme, Nexxus and Living Proof

There’s also a wellness space and mothers’ rooms as well as innovation and community hubs for live collaborations and demonstrations. Designed with sustainability in mind, the space features LED lighting, energy efficient HVAC systems, and low-flow water fixtures to reduce energy and water consumption.

Herrish Patel, president of Unilever USA and CEO, Personal Care North America, believes the move is a defining moment for a business that has had a presence in New Jersey for 50 years.

‘The heart of that culture’

“We are really proud to call this the home of Unilever’s biggest market in the world called Unilever USA,” he said, adding that the company reaches 95% of households through its brands.

“A business has two things, particularly in our industry. It has brands and it has people and everything else is pretty much a process. Processes are important, but the two things you have are brands and people. And that’s why this home is really important. We built it with a design to unlock the potential of our people. We want this to be a place where you are inspired, you refuel, you form friendships, and you feel that you can have impact on the US marketplace, which I think is going to be the fastest growing market for many decades to come. And it’s a must win market for Unilever,” he said.

Patel said, “Why Hoboken? We wanted proximity to where trends and culture come alive; we wanted a place that would inspire innovation. We have all the business units and all our leaders here – and this is a place where we unite and write the stories of this company for the next 10 years.”

“There’s three things that fundamentally shape a CPG [consumer packaged goods] company. First is your ability to innovate. And we need to be in a community and in the spirit and an environment that reflects the consumers that you serve … The second thing is that in the new world of marketing, which we call social first, it’s all about Instagram moments and about TikTok moments. This area is full of these types of moments, and that’s where we want our brands to be right in the heart of that culture,” Patel said.

“And lastly, we want our people to enjoy a place, I call it wasting time together. That afterward they go for a coffee or they go for a walk. That’s what makes great companies is when they can waste time to and get to know each other beyond just the name and the business,” Patel said.

It’s not goodbye

The company also believes the Mile Square City’s transit accessibility and walkability will appeal to talent in the New York-New Jersey market while retaining their current employees in the area.

Patel said, “I think we found a home to write that identity of what this company stands for, what our brands stand for, and what’s the impact that we want to have on this market for the next 10 years.”

“Our goal was to design a space that not only reflects Unilever’s values but empowers people to do their best work,” said Nate Barney, head of global workplace service for Unilever. “From natural light and open floor plans to versatile spaces for collaboration and wellness, every detail was considered to create a modern workplace that fosters community and innovation.”

When Unilever announced last fall that it signed a 10-year lease at Waterfront Corporate Center, the company said it wasn’t leaving Englewood Cliffs entirely. Its research and development team will continue working from Unilever’s existing 325,000-square-foot campus at 800 Sylvan Ave. According to Patel, about 260 employees will be based there.

That property was renovated in 2018 in a bid to create a more sustainable and employee-focused workplace. As part of the project, the company transformed five buildings into a single space, as well as incorporated smart technologies and modern design elements.

Considered one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world, Unilever’s portfolio includes Ben & Jerry’s, Dove, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Axe, Magnum and Vaseline.

Unilever’s U.S. footprint includes 10 factories manufacturing its products.

Badge of honor

Officials including Gov. Phil Murphy and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla joined Unilever June 5 to celebrate its arrival in Hudson County.

Murphy noted the company’s long history in New Jersey. “We wear Unilever’s presence here as a badge of honor and its presence says a lot about who we are as a state,” he said. “We are by many measures, the most diverse American state and we are by many measures, also the most international American state.”

“Unilever is so much at center stage of who we think we are and who we aspire to be. Whether it’s your international global footprint, whether it’s the oozing of talent or the values that Unilever stands for … You are in the absolute sweet spot of who we see when we wake up in the morning,” the governor said.

Bhalla added, “This is a proud moment for Hoboken to have Unilever here. It is one of the world’s largest and most respected companies, known for its trusted brands and forward-looking values. Their choice to make Hoboken their home is a powerful vote of confidence in our city’s future.”

“Hoboken stands out as one of the most accessible and well-connected, connected cities in the entire country,” the mayor continued. “Unilever now joins a growing list of companies recognizing Hoboken as a destination for innovation and opportunity.

“This move is expected to bring hundreds of jobs and supports our local economy from restaurants and retailers to service providers and beyond. It strengthens Hoboken’s role as a business and cultural hub, reinforcing our position as a center of moderate industry and innovation.”

A big deal

“But this milestone isn’t just about business, it’s about shared values,” Bhalla said. “Unilever’s global leadership and goals and sustainability and social impact align closely with Hoboken’s own commitment to environmental stewardship, resiliency and inclusive growth.”

At SJP Properties‘ Waterfront Corporate Center, Unilever’s neighbors include several high-caliber corporations, such as Hain Celestial, Walmart, Thomson Reuters, Ernst & Young, Lipton, Pearson Education, Regus, Jet.com, Nestlé Health Science and Marsh & McLennan.

In a statement, SJP Properties President and CEO Steven Pozycki said he’s proud to welcome Unilever and is confident the company will thrive it new location. “Hoboken is now the preferred North American office destination for global consumer brands due to its access to multiple modes of public transportation, proximity to New York City and three international airports, as well as a highly educated professional workforce.”

He went on to say the many prominent companies at Waterfront Corporate Center chose the property “to elevate operational efficiencies in an unrivaled high-performance workplace environment.”

“Further, the walkable, amenity-rich location offers a superior employee experience and a seamless day-to-evening work/life integration,” Pozycki also said.

“To bring Unilever to Hoboken, we assembled a complex multiparty transaction, which included a custom buildout by SJP Project Solutions,” he said, noting it recently won the 2025 NAIOP New Jersey Deal of the Year.

Easy access

When Hain Celestial moved into its 40,000-square-foot space there in fall 2023, the better-for-you snack maker adopted a flexible work model to deliver even greater value as a globally integrated enterprise of nearly 2,800 employees.

Another Hoboken home: Hain Celestial unveils innovation center

Also working out of the Waterfront Corporate Center, CPG giant Hain will guide product development from its new experience hub. Keep reading.

Citing the shift to remote work over the past three years, the company told The Real Deal in April 2023 that it was leaving Nassau County because the current office was too big, and it wanted to find a “HQ space that is right-sized for our needs.”

With Hoboken as the hub of its global operations, Hain’s offices and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, Europe and other international locations serve as “spokes” for employees to come together and collaborate, the company said. Hain also continues to leverage research & development labs at its manufacturing facilities for more comprehensive product development and scale.

During an interview earlier this year with NJBIZ, Hain North America President Chad Marquardt said the new office has energized the team.

Situated along the Hudson River, the property is surrounded by acclaimed restaurants and shops. It’s also steps away from Hoboken Terminal’s NJ Transit, PATH, New York Waterway and Light Rail connections.

“What we’ve loved here is easy access. From a transportation perspective, we’re close to multiple access points … It’s easy to get to – you can fly into Newark or any of the area airports. Also, when customers see an image of our office and that the backdrop is Manhattan, they naturally get excited to come,” Marquardt said.

Hudson County will also soon be home for another big company – Casio America Inc.

Another Hudson hot spot

The consumer electronics maker recently announced plans to move from Dover to Jersey City later this year as part of a strategic transformation designed “to modernize operations, enhance innovation and position the company for long-term success.”

Its new base at Harborside Plaza 5 will serve as a hub for sales and marketing, Casio said, noting the location’s “proximity to key business hubs.” Additionally, the company said the new office will provide “access to customers, vendors and talent pool,” as well as “cutting-edge marketing and design resources.”

Casio expects to sell its Dover campus in Morris County by the end of 2025. However, it also plans to maintain a presence in the region with a new operations center in Rockaway that centralizes finance, IT, human resources, customer service, legal and business administration functions.

A subsidiary of Tokyo-based Casio Computer Co. Ltd., Casio America produces consumer electronics and business equipment solutions, such as watches, keyboards, digital cameras and calculators. After its 1970 founding in New York City, Casio America relocated to its current 25-acre site in Dover in 1987.

Chairman and CEO Tom Kato described the upcoming changes as a “strategic investment” that “strengthens Casio’s foundation for future growth.”

“By embracing modern work environments, expanding access to key talent, and optimizing operations, we are ensuring Casio remains at the forefront of innovation, efficiency and long-term growth,” he said