The headquarters of Sara Lee’s new North American meat company will be in Chicago, the US food group, which is to split into two, has announced.

Sara Lee, which is currently based in Downers Grove in Illinois, said the meat firm’s new headquarters will be on 400 S. Jefferson Street. The move will create at least 500 jobs, and up to 650 total jobs in Chicago, Sara Lee said.

“This move will put our new company’s headquarters in the heart of one of the world’s business capitals and will be one of the key elements of building our more nimble, creative and innovative culture,” Sara Lee executive chairman Jan Bennink said yesterday (8 December).

The announcement follows the company’s plans to split itself into a North American meats company and an international beverage maker, which is set to be based outside the US.