Burlington Stores is moving its headquarters to Philadelphia
The discount retailer, long based in South Jersey, plans to invest $370 million in the move, and use another $30 million in Pa. grants. It will eventually relocate 1,500 employees and hire 500.
Burlington Stores, the discount retailer named for its longtime South Jersey home, is spending millions on new corporate offices in Philadelphia, marking the first time in decades the city has welcomed the headquarters of a Fortune 500 company.
The company is buying 3151 Market St., a more than 400,000-square-foot office building in Brandywine Realty Trust’s $3.5 billion Schuylkill Yards development in University City, for an undisclosed sum.
In all, Burlington plans to spend $370 million on the move, and is set to receive another $30 million in state grants. The city is also providing a $7 million forgivable loan, a job-creation tax credit, and a $1 million investment that will give Burlington workers free SEPTA passes for a year.
Burlington eventually plans to relocate 1,500 employees from New Jersey to the new Philly headquarters, a spokesperson said, and hire another 500. The company has no plans for layoffs.
They plan to gradually move employees by team. The moves will begin no earlier than late 2028.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called the move “one of the largest corporate relocations ever in the commonwealth,” at an event Thursday in the lobby of Burlington’s new headquarters.
“It’s going to put West Philly and our growing downtown district on the map as a premier spot for some of the largest companies in the world,” said the governor, who announced the news Thursday alongside Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Burlington CEO Michael O’Sullivan, Brandywine Realty Trust CEO Jerry Sweeney, and other state and local officials.
Burlington will join Comcast and Aramark, currently the only two Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Philadelphia.
Philly’s gain comes at a loss for New Jersey: Burlington has been based in its namesake Burlington Township for more than half a century. It opened its first store there in 1972.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office said in a statement that they were “disappointed by Burlington’s decision to relocate its headquarters.” But “the company will continue to maintain a significant presence and thousands of jobs here in New Jersey.”
About 4,700 people worked at Burlington’s corporate campus and warehouses in Burlington County as of last year, with 2,100 people employed in Philly-area stores. A company spokesperson said Thursday that the company employs 8,000 across New Jersey.
As for its current headquarters on U.S. Route 130 North, Burlington intends to have it rezoned for warehouse space and turn some of the property into farmland. The company plans to keep its New Jersey warehouse and distribution centers in Burlington, Edgewater Park, Florence, and Logan Township.
Burlington’s move is the latest win for Parker and Shapiro, who is up for reelection in November, as well as the governor’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Earlier this week, Shapiro’s administration announced $50 million in state grants and loans to help fund the yogurt company Chobani’s expansion into Allentown.
» READ MORE: Chobani to invest $1.2 billion in Pennsylvania and create 900 jobs
“This is another day in what’s been just a monster week,” DCED Secretary Rick Siger said. “It’s another proof point of Pennsylvania’s strength as a business destination.”
Burlington’s new home base will be part of Schuylkill Yards, a 14-acre project that Brandywine has undertaken with Drexel University. Its developers initially planned for the complex to include luxury housing, public space, and offices and labs.
“What we’ve seen today is what can happen through a public-private partnership when leaders have a shared vision, a dedication to cause, and an unwavering commitment to the exciting future we can create by working together,” said Sweeney, Brandywine’s CEO, on Thursday.
Burlington was initially drawn to Philly because of the city’s history and culture, including its food scene, artistic institutions, and sports fandom, according to O’Sullivan. But the CEO said conversations with Shapiro and Parker “pushed this decision over the line.”
“We found the vision that they laid out for the city and the state hugely compelling,” he said. “We were very impressed by their clear priorities and their focus on getting stuff done around economic development, education and training, public transportation, public safety, and fiscal responsibility.”
Burlington has been expanding in recent years as more consumers, including higher-income shoppers, flock to discount retailers.
As of August, the company operated 1,300 stores in 47 states, including eight in Philadelphia and dozens across the region. By the end of the year, the company plans to open another 115 stores and hire 5,000 more employees, O’Sullivan said Thursday.
The chain’s growth has paid off, with a 21% increase in net income and a 9% jump in sales last year.
In an earnings call, O’Sullivan attributed those numbers to the company’s tariff response, which included inventory reductions, price increases on certain items, and an aggressive cutting of expenses.
Burlington has continued to report strong earnings in the first half of 2026, with a boost from $55 million in tariff refunds. O’Sullivan has said the company plans to put that money toward more markdowns for customers.
Shapiro and Parker both said they had shopped at Burlington, with Shapiro patronizing the Jenkintown store and Parker frequenting the location at the former Cheltenham Mall in Wyncote.
O’Sullivan said with a laugh: “The mayor and the governor got my full attention when they independently confirmed that they both exclusively wear clothes from Burlington.”
