LAKE SUCCESS, NY-Armed with state and local tax incentives,natural foods giant Hain Celestial Group Inc. isrelocating its corporate headquarters from Suffolk County to NassauCounty, committing to 86,000 square feet in a freestanding buildingat AREA Property Partners’ 1111 Marcus Ave. here.Its current space at 58 S. Service Rd. in Melville, NY is less thanhalf that size at 35,000 square feet.

The company, which is expected to report full-year revenues of$1.4 billion on June 30 and whose brands include Health Valley,Celestial Seasonings and Terra Chips, has been based on Long Islandsince its founding in the early 1990s. However, it consideredmoving its headquarters out of New York State. Although aspokeswoman for Hain Celestial declines to identify the locationsthe company was considering, published reports say it receivedovertures from Colorado, where it currently maintains offices, andNew Jersey, where the natural products industry has a strongpresence.

Helping make the relocation and expansion economically feasibleis $4.5 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits through theEmpire State Development Corp. Hain Celestialplans to make $10 million of capital improvements to the new space,including the construction of in-house R&D facilities.