Sweet Brand, Sour Move — Jobs Vanish

Hand crossing out stick figures with a red marker. — JOBS GONE AGAIN

One of America’s most famous candy makers is trading 86 years in “Brick City” for Chicago, and 307 New Jersey workers are paying the price.

Story Snapshot

Mars Wrigley is closing its U.S. headquarters in Newark and cutting 307 jobs by mid-October.
The company will shift its North American corporate operations to an expanded campus in Chicago.
Manufacturing in Hackettstown, New Jersey, will stay open even as headquarters leave the state.
Leaders claim the move is about “long-term growth,” but provide no hard numbers to back it up.

What Mars Wrigley Is Doing To Newark And Why It Matters

Mars Wrigley, the maker of M&M’s, Snickers, Twix, and Skittles, has filed a formal notice with New Jersey to cut 307 jobs as it shuts down its Newark headquarters and market hub.

Those layoffs start October 16, turning a sleek office opened in 2020 into a short-lived chapter in the city’s history. The company is not shrinking; it is moving the brain of its U.S. candy business to Chicago and calling it “consolidation”.

Candy giant Mars Wrigley signals massive layoffs as it relocates from NJ to Chicago https://t.co/PMt6Gfvyfx pic.twitter.com/8yu7KnG0bL

— New York Post (@nypost) July 20, 2026

The company’s own statement says it will “sunset” the Newark Market Hub by December 2027, finishing a full phaseout of corporate work in the city. Reporters describe it as the end of an 85-plus-year relationship between Mars Wrigley and Newark, long known as “Brick City”.

For local families, that “sunset” is not a soft glow. It is a hard deadline that says their jobs, and their company’s loyalty to the city, have an expiration date.

Chicago Gains A Candy Giant While New Jersey Loses Its Corporate Anchor

Mars Wrigley is not moving into Chicago on a whim. The company has already spent about $100 million to expand its campus there, where its global snacking headquarters now sit.

Executives say they will “consolidate corporate operations” at this enlarged site and claim the move will create more than 600 new jobs in Chicago. That sounds impressive, but so far there is no public breakdown of what those jobs are, when they will be filled, or who is likely to get them.

The company paints this as a growth story, saying the restructuring will “position Mars Snacking for long-term growth” and strengthen operations in key North American locations. This language fits a wider pattern.

Across the country, corporate headquarters moves are now common, with many companies chasing lower costs, better tax climates, and access to talent.

From a business lens, Mars Wrigley is following the herd. From a New Jersey lens, it looks like a classic case of a big brand taking its white-collar jobs to a city it finds more friendly.

Hackettstown Keeps The Chocolate, Newark Loses The Power

One detail many headlines miss: Mars Wrigley is not leaving New Jersey entirely. The company says its manufacturing and innovation facility in Hackettstown will keep running, and no layoffs have been announced there.

That plant is a major production site, and Mars calls it proof that the company remains committed to the state. On paper, that sounds reassuring. In practice, it means New Jersey keeps the factory but loses the headquarters.

This matters for more than pride. Headquarters jobs usually pay more and cluster decision-makers, marketers, and engineers. These roles often shape charity spending, local hiring, and civic leadership. When those jobs move to Chicago, Chicago gains that influence.

Hackettstown workers may still punch in every day, but the real power over future investment now sits 800 miles away.

The Human And Political Fallout Of 307 Lost Jobs

Media coverage leans into the emotional side: an “iconic candy maker” leaving New Jersey after 85 years and “laying off hundreds” of employees. That framing is not wrong. A layoff notice that lists 307 names is not just a spreadsheet; it is a stack of families who must scramble for new work by fall.

The company promises relocation options and support, but much of the Newark workforce will not move halfway across the country for a corporate job that may or may not fit their skills.

Mars Wrigley cuts 307 New Jersey jobs to move US headquarters to Chicago | Fox Business https://t.co/JyfKky14bL

— JT Badenov (@cbinflux) July 21, 2026

Strikingly, New Jersey’s political response has been quiet. No detailed public explanation from the governor or state labor leaders has surfaced about whether taxes, regulations, or missed incentives helped push Mars Wrigley out the door. That silence leaves a narrative vacuum. Critics can say “corporate abandonment,” while the company talks about “efficiency” and “growth.”

Without hard numbers on taxes paid, incentives offered, or cost savings in Chicago, Americans who value accountability are right to ask: did New Jersey make it too easy for this company to walk?