Fertilizer giant CF Industries moving HQ to Northbrook

CF Industries, a global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for fertilizer, clean energy, emissions abatement and other industrial uses, will move its corporate headquarters to Northbrook from Deerfield.

Transwestern Real Estate Services on March 1 announced CF Industries signed a long-term lease for 77,863 square feet of space at 1 Astellas Way, Northbrook. CF Industries, the world's largest producer of ammonia, will occupy two floors in Astellas' south building.

The company is expected to occupy the space before the end of 2023, according to Transwestern, which manages the Astellas complex. The 432,000-square-foot complex will be renamed 2375 Waterview Drive in April, Transwestern said in a news release.

CF Industries is moving from 4 Parkway North in Deerfield. A March 1 story in therealdeal.com said CF Industries initially leased more than 80,000 square feet at 4 Parkway North for its corporate headquarters, but expanded over time to occupy nearly 171,000 square feet.

"Coming out of the pandemic, there has been a flight to quality," said Transwestern's Executive Vice President Kyle Robbins, who handled Transwestern negotiations with Executive Managing Director Andrew Davidson and Executive Vice President David Burkards.

"A tenant signing a long-term lease in such a notable building is a testament to the fact that businesses care about the office, especially high-quality environments that will attract employees back to in-person work and encourage collaboration," Robbins said in the release.

CF Industries was represented in the negotiation by JLL Senior Managing Director Daniel McCarthy and Associate Broker Sophia Spinell.

The LEED Gold-status Astellas complex still has 139,366 square feet of remaining space in the south building. The north building has hosted the United States headquarters of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., a global pharmaceutical research company, since the complex was completed in 2012.