MillerCoors Picks Chicago for Corporate HQ

CHICAGO-MillerCoors has decided to have the headquarters of the newly-merged company in the Windy City. Milwaukee-based SABMiller PLC and Molson Coors Brewing Co., based in Golden, CO, merged last month and “we decided on a neutral location,” a spokesman says.

The beer brewer will be looking for a location in downtown Chicago with “well over 100,000 sf,” the spokesman says. The newly merged company has not decided if it will buy or lease the location, he says. MillerCoors expects to have 300 to 400 employees at the site, which will serve as the corporate headquarters, house the marketing department as well as offices for the CEO and president/chief commercial officer, the spokesman says.

“Chicago, for us, gave us access to an attractive base of talent, attractive transportation options as well as great business resources,” he says. “In addition to that, Chicago has been a hub for marketing and many of the top advertising agencies are in Chicago.” Additionally, the Windy City was chosen because “Chicago also has more real estate options,” he says. A specific location is expected to be decided within the next couple of months with occupancy in June 2009, the spokesman says.