Town & Country-based Energizer Holdings is getting a new headquarters.
The longtime locally-based battery giant became an independent company when it was spun off from the then-conglomerate Ralston Purina in 2000. It's been based at 141 and 40 in west St. Louis County for two decades.
Now, Energizer is moving to Clayton. The firm is leaving a suburban-styled office park for a dense, urban area. Clayton Mayor Michelle Harris notes workers will be able to walk up the sidewalk to shopping and restaurants. They'll also now be able to take MetroLink to work.
"You know, we have a robust business center, downtown Clayton, surrounded by beautiful historic neighborhoods," she says.
Local companies have noted the importance of these lifestyle factors as they attempt to recruit skilled workers to St. Louis from other metro areas.
Energizer is leasing 41,000 square feet in the Apex Oil tower on Forsyth, which is less than the size of its current space, a result of remote work. The deal was first revealed by real estate firm CBRE, which noted Energizer's lease signing in its report on fourth quarter activity in the St. Louis market.
In a written statement, an Energizer Holdings spokesperson says:
"Like many organizations, Energizer Holdings has embraced flexible ways of working in recent years, and we have also been exploring office space options within the St. Louis area to create the most efficient, engaging and collaborative working environment possible for our colleagues.
"Following a thorough review, we will be moving our headquarters location to a space in Clayton, Missouri, that better meets the needs of our hybrid workforce. Plans are still being finalized, but we anticipate being in the new office space by the end of 2024."
KMOX asked: did city tax incentives lure the company to relocate to Clayton?
"I have to say, no one has contacted us about that," Harris responds.
In fact, the Mayor says she can't think of a relocation or construction instance in Clayton that's received city tax incentives. Emerson last year decided to move from a campus in Ferguson to another tower in Clayton. Harris says these decisions have been made based on the merits of the location.
"We have not been in the business, for awhile now, of giving out any kind of incentives for companies moving or buildings being built," Harris tells KMOX. "Virtually everything that's happened -- and we've had a lot of development over the past two years and more coming -- all of those projects are completely unabated. We have not given out one dime of tax abatement."
As for her hint of "more coming," Harris says that's all she can say right now.