CHICAGO, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Chef,
one of the nation's leading meal kit companies, today announced
plans to move its headquarters into the redeveloped Old Post Office
this summer as it prepares to accommodate future team growth. Home
Chef, which merged with The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) in 2018, will use
the new space to accelerate growth and innovation, develop new
products and expand the availability of current meal solutions.
"The growth we are seeing in both our e-commerce and retail
channels has led to expansion in all areas of the business," said
Patrick Sullivan, CFO of Home Chef.
"It's important to us to have a space where we can continue to
attract and retain top talent, while always remaining focused on
our core commitment to our customers. We aim to deliver the best
possible experience to anyone who wants an easy, convenient and
delicious answer to the dinner time dilemma."
Home Chef offers industry-leading variety with meal kits at
different levels of preparation and cook times. The company has
been rated the top meal kit in customer satisfaction* for two
consecutive years, delivering more than 3.5 million meals per
month. Home Chef meal kits are also available in more than 700
Kroger grocery stores in the United
States, and the retail footprint will continue to grow in
2019.
The company has more than 750 employees in the Chicago area at its corporate offices in the
historic Wrigley Building, satellite offices for the culinary and
customer service teams, and at a state-of-the-art distribution
center in the Chicago suburb of
Bedford Park, IL. Additional Home
Chef employees are based at the company's distribution centers in
San Bernardino, CA and
Atlanta, GA, which both opened in
2016.
Home Chef will move all its corporate teams to the Old Post
Office, including marketing, technology, product, culinary,
finance/HR, operations, and customer service employees.
"We're looking forward to bringing our whole corporate team back
under one roof," said Sullivan. "As we are growing, we are
identifying more opportunities to work cross functionally and
believe that the Old Post Office, steeped in Chicago history, is the right space for us to
do that."
"With our thriving tech and business communities, the
State of Illinois is the proud
home of countless entrepreneurs and startups, and we're thrilled to
have Home Chef among the companies founded and growing roots here,"
said Gov. JB Pritzker. "Innovators know that our top talent,
world-class universities and transit systems make us highly
competitive and will support the growth of their businesses and our
entire economy. As a businessman, I'm excited to see businesses
grow, and we're excited for Home Chef's future in Illinois."
Pat Vihtelic, who sought a more
convenient way to get a delicious dinner on the table after working
long hours, founded Home Chef in Chicago in 2013.
"Chicago has become a real hub
for technology and marketing with the arrival of some of the
world's most innovative companies over the past few years," said
Pat Vihtelic, founder and CEO of
Home Chef. "It's also an incredible food city, full of inspiration
and talent at every level and across every function."
"The Old Post Office is no longer just a vacant relic of
Chicago's past, it is the new home
of thriving companies that are contributing to our city's future,"
said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "We are
proud to welcome Home Chef to the growing list of organizations
putting down new roots in the Old Post Office."
Vihtelic added, "We are proud of our own history in Chicago and with an ambitious growth and
expansion plan this year, we look forward to continued success at
our new headquarters."
*Source: US Grocery Benchmark Study, 2017-2018, Market Force
Information, Inc.
About Home Chef
Home Chef is one of the largest meal kit delivery companies in
the U.S., with over 3 million meals delivered each month. Founded
in 2013, Home Chef offers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy
to follow recipes delivered weekly and is designed for anyone to be
able to cook and everyone to enjoy. The Chicago-based company delivers nationwide. For
two years running, Home Chef has been rated #1 in customer
satisfaction among leading meal kit companies, according to Market
Force Information U.S. Grocery Benchmark Study. Home Chef is a
subsidiary of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR). Find out more and get
cooking at www.homechef.com. Follow us on Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook for live updates and
delicious inspiration.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.