McDonald's headquarters, Oak Brook, Ill.
McDonald’s plans to move its corporate headquarters from Oak Brook, Ill. to downtown Chicago by the spring of 2018.

OAK BROOK, ILL. — McDonald’s Corp. has announced plans to move its corporate headquarters from Oak Brook to downtown Chicago by the spring of 2018. The headquarters new location will be Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.

Steve Easterbrook, McDonald's
Steve Easterbrook, president and c.e.o. of McDonald's

“We are a brand on the move in more ways than one,” said Steve Easterbrook, president and chief executive officer. “Moving our headquarters to Chicago is another significant step in our journey to build a better McDonald’s. This world-class environment will continue to drive business momentum by getting us even closer to customers, encouraging innovation and ensuring great talent is excited about where they work.”

McDonald’s headquarters were located in Chicago from 1955 to 1971, at which point operations were shifted to Oak Brook.

Enrique Hernandez, McDonald's
Rick Hernandez, chairman of the board of McDonald’s

“McDonald’s looks forward to returning to the Chicago community where we started and to building together the next chapter of success in the history of this great company,” said Rick Hernandez, chairman of the board of McDonald’s. “Today’s announcement is about more than just a new location for us. It is an important investment in our people as we look to create a start-of-the-art company headquarters they can use to move our business forward for many years to come.”

In addition to the company’s corporate operations, the new headquarters will house Hamburger University, one of seven worldwide locations, providing a learning center for the company’s future leaders and employees.

McDonald's Hamburger University
 The new headquarters will house McDonald's Hamburger University.

McDonald’s has more than 36,000 locations in over 100 countries.

McDonald’s becomes the latest large company to relocate its headquarters to Chicago. Earlier, ConAgra Foods, Inc. announced plans to move to Chicago from Omaha.