PURCHASE, NY. — PepsiCo, Inc. has announced plans to close its research and development facility in Barrington, Ill., later this summer. The closing will result in the layoff of 78 employees while the remaining 212 workers will be transferred to other locations.
“PepsiCo has made the difficult decision to close the Barrington, Ill., R&D site,” the company said. “The expectation is for the site to be fully closed in June 2022. A vast majority of the roles will be moving to our three key hubs: Chicago’s Old Post Office; Plano, Texas; and Valhalla, NY.”
The R&D facility has been home to the Gatorade Sports Science Institute since 1985, where PepsiCo said its employees “maintain labs for exercise physiology, biochemistry and body composition for research related to sports nutrition and hydration. In addition, the team dedicates time to innovation, education and service initiatives.” The facility also conducts research and development for Quaker Oats products.