PHILADELPHIA, PA — Burlington Stores Inc. will relocate its corporate headquarters to Philadelphia and invest $370 million in the project, a move expected to create at least 2,000 Pennsylvania jobs over five years with $30 million in state support, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration announced Thursday.
The off-price retailer is purchasing property at 3151 Market Street in West Philadelphia for its new headquarters, placing another Fortune 500 company in the city’s Schuylkill Yards development.
Pennsylvania offered Burlington a $20 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant and a $10 million Pennsylvania First grant through the Department of Community and Economic Development.
Philadelphia is providing additional incentives, including a $7 million forgivable loan and a Job Creation Tax Credit award. SEPTA and the Philadelphia Parking Authority also offered discounted commuting programs for Burlington employees.
The relocation represents one of Philadelphia’s more significant recent corporate recruitment wins, shifting Burlington’s headquarters into a major mixed-use development near University City while adding a large employment base to the city.
Burlington Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Sullivan said the company considered multiple locations before choosing Philadelphia, citing its workforce and infrastructure among the factors behind the decision.
“We were strongly attracted to the energy, talent, and infrastructure that Philadelphia has to offer,” O’Sullivan said.
Burlington operated 1,300 stores in 47 states as of Aug. 1, including more than 43 locations in the Philadelphia designated market area, according to the governor’s office.
The company’s headquarters will be located at Schuylkill Yards, the West Philadelphia development owned by Brandywine Realty Trust.
Shapiro characterized the project as part of Pennsylvania’s strategy of using targeted public incentives to compete for private investment and corporate jobs.
“Burlington is a fast-growing Fortune 500 company and they have committed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in our economy and create 2,000 new jobs in our Commonwealth,” Shapiro said, describing the move as the city’s largest headquarters relocation in years.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said the headquarters workforce is expected to have a broader economic effect on University City and Philadelphia’s central business areas as employees spend money at nearby businesses.
“These employees will become part of the daily life of our central core and University City, working, shopping, dining and supporting businesses throughout Philadelphia,” Parker said.
The Burlington project adds to more than $43 billion in private-sector investments secured by Pennsylvania during the Shapiro administration that are associated with nearly 29,000 new jobs, according to the governor’s office.
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