Campbell Soup Company To Close Norwalk Corporate Office By 2025

NORWALK, CT — Campbell Soup Company, the owner of Pepperidge Farm and other famous snack brands, has confirmed plans to completely close its corporate office in Norwalk, located at 595 Westport Avenue, by 2025.

In a notice sent Friday to the Connecticut Department of Labor, a company representative said the closure was part of Campbell's plans to consolidate its corporate offices into its Camden, N.J., headquarters.

The notice indicates there are approximately 154 regular employees currently employed at the Norwalk corporate office.

Campbell spokesperson Michelle Reardon confirmed to Patch the company filed a worker adjustment and retraining notification, or WARN notice, related to the Norwalk office closure.

Reardon noted the closure was publicly announced in January as part of the company's plans to relocate roles and consolidate its offices into its New Jersey headquarters.

See also: Norwalk Pepperidge Farm Office To Close, Move Jobs To New Jersey

"The company provided eligible employees with comprehensive relocation support," Reardon said in an email to Patch. "Those employees who elected not to relocate will be provided with severance benefits."

The company plans to close the Norwalk corporate office in at least three phases beginning in September. The second phase is currently planned for November and the third phase is planned for the summer or fall of 2025, according to the notice.

Of the 154 employees who currently work at the Norwalk office, several will relocate to New Jersey and approximately 32 employees will remain in the building until the office permanently closes in 2025.

According to Reardon, this group consists primarily of research and development employees who will remain in Norwalk until their new R&D space in New Jersey is ready. She also noted 44 employees who elected not to relocate to Camden will be laid off by December of this year.

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Campbell owns the Pepperidge Farm brand, famous for its Milano cookies and Goldfish snacks, which is headquartered at the Westport Avenue complex. According to the Norwalk Hour, the company's 105,000-square foot Westport Avenue complex includes a development and innovation center.

The company announced in January plans to close its Pepperidge Farm office in Norwalk, as well as an office in Charlotte, N.C., but noted Campbell will continue to make Pepperidge Farm products at its bakery in Bloomfield, which opened in 2002 and employs hundreds of people.

At the time of the announcement, Mayor Harry Rilling said he was disappointed to hear about the planned closure given the company's deep history in Norwalk and Connecticut in general.

"Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin was one of the great business leaders of her time and fulfilled her dream of opening a state-of-the-art bakery right here in Norwalk in 1947," Rilling said in a statement. "When I was younger, we would take school trips to Pepperidge Farm, and they would give each student a loaf of bread. I have fond memories of learning how their bread was made."

He also urged anyone in Norwalk facing job loss and in need of support to contact the city's Community Services Department at 203-854-7999 and utilize its Community Resource Hub to be directly connected with training programs and workforce development opportunities.

"Our Community Services Department was created to be a resource to residents during challenging circumstances and will work closely with our community partners to help residents access the services they need," Rilling said.

Pepperidge Farm is part of Campbell Snacks, one of the company's two divisions which includes brands such as Cape Cod, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Milano and Snyder's of Hanover, among others.

The brand's history in Norwalk dates back to the 1940's when Rudkin was living on a property in Fairfield called Pepperidge Farm, named for an ancient pepperidge tree that grew there, according to the company's website.

Pepperidge Farm celebrated Independence Day on July 4, 1947, by opening its new bakery in Norwalk. The company was run by Rudkin for many years before being purchased by Campbell's in 1961.

The full story of the company's history can be read here.