Consumer goods giant Unilever plans to begin construction later this year on a $270 million global innovation center in downtown New Haven, the company announced Thursday.
The new building, to be located at 2 Church St., is intended to be a research and development hub for the company’s personal care, beauty and wellbeing businesses in the U.S. and globally.
About 300 employees will work at the center, which will replace Unilever’s existing R&D facility in Trumbull that has operated since 1972, the company said.
Unilever and state officials said the new facility is expected to open in the spring of 2029. A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont said the company expects to break ground on the project by the end of this year.
The 1.55-acre property at 2 Church St. is owned by the state. City property records show the state Department of Transportation as a co-owner.
In an email, a Unilever spokesperson said the company will occupy two floors of the newly constructed center, covering approximately 100,000 square feet, but did not state exactly how large the building will be.
In an announcement about the project, Unilever said the facility will be “centrally located in one of the world’s fastest-growing biosciences innovation clusters,” an area of New Haven that has attracted significant investment from biotechnology firms, Yale University-affiliated ventures and research institutions in recent years.
Company officials said the facility will bring together product formulation, fragrance creation, packaging design and consumer insights under one roof in an effort to speed product development and innovation. The center also will incorporate artificial intelligence and emerging quantum computing capabilities to support advanced materials discovery and other research initiatives.
Unilever said the project aligns with its strategy to sharpen its focus on faster-growing beauty, personal care and wellbeing businesses. The company’s portfolio includes brands such as Dove, Nexxus and Olly.
“New Haven gets us to the future faster,” said Richard Slater, Unilever’s chief research and development officer. He said the company plans to innovate “at the intersection of science, technology and culture.”
The investment adds to roughly $15 billion the company has invested in the U.S. market over the past decade, officials said.
