A Beloved Candy Company Is Cutting 307 Jobs and Shutting Down Its New Jersey Headquarters

Big food companies have continued reshaping office footprints and consolidating corporate operations in 2026 as they weigh investment, staffing, and location strategy. In New Jersey, that shift now includes Mars Wrigley, the candy maker behind M&M’s and Snickers, which is preparing to leave its Newark headquarters. The move affects hundreds of employees and marks another major headquarters loss for the state.

Mars Wrigley filed for 307 Newark layoffs as it prepares to exit

Mars WrigleyConfectionary US, LLC is cutting 307 jobs in Newark, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s 2026 WARN notice archive. The state filing lists Newark as the affected city, July as the month posted, an effective date of October 16, 2026, and a workforce impact of 307. News 12 reported on July 19, 2026, that layoffs at the Newark facility were scheduled to begin on that date.

The notice is a WARN filing, meaning it was submitted under worker-notification rules ahead of a mass layoff or closing. The state archive does not list multiple New Jersey sites for this action; it identifies Newark only. Based on the publicly available state record, the filing appears to be final enough to carry a specific effective date, though the public archive does not spell out additional conditions attached to the notice.

Reports tying the filing to Mars Wrigley’s headquarters closure say the affected site is the company’s Newark office at 110 Edison Place. Coverage from Jersey Digs said the headquarters departure will end the company’s Newark office presence less than a decade after Mars expanded there. The company had previously made Newark a major corporate base as part of a larger New Jersey footprint.

Newark is confirmed in the filing, while broader local details remain limited

For New Jersey readers, the clearest confirmed impact is geographic: the affected location in the state filing is Newark. Public reporting has identified the departing headquarters as 110 Edison Place, near the Prudential Center area, making the layoff notice especially significant for downtown Newark’s office market and for workers tied to that site. The state’s WARN archive does not list separate counts for other New Jersey municipalities in this filing.

What is not yet public is a full employee-by-employee or department-by-department breakdown for the Newark layoffs. The company has not released a comprehensive public list of affected teams, job functions, or specific city of residence for workers tied to the headquarters. It also has not publicly detailed how many Newark-based employees, if any, were offered transfers compared with separation.

At the same time, reports indicate Mars is not leaving New Jersey entirely. Coverage citing company statements said Mars will continue manufacturing and business operations in Hackettstown, where the company has long maintained a presence. That means the announced change is centered on the Newark headquarters operation, not a statewide shutdown of all Mars activity in New Jersey.

The move follows Mars’ Chicago expansion and broader corporate consolidation

The clearest stated context for the Newark cuts is Mars Snacking’s expansion in Chicago. In a March 25, 2026 announcement, Mars said it would create 600 new jobs, invest $100 million, and expand its global headquarters in Chicago, adding that the city is now the official home for its North America region and Accelerator Division. That company statement provides the strongest direct explanation for why Newark jobs are being eliminated now.

Additional coverage has connected the Chicago expansion to Mars’ broader post-acquisition structure. The company’s March announcement came months after Mars closed its acquisition of Kellanova, giving it a larger Chicago-centered snacks footprint. Food industry reporting has described the Newark layoffs as part of a consolidation of corporate functions into Chicago rather than a pullback from candy manufacturing overall.

For customers in New Jersey, the immediate change is corporate, not retail-facing. Public reports indicate Mars brands will remain on shelves, and Hackettstown operations are expected to continue even as the Newark headquarters winds down. The confirmed next date in the process is October 16, 2026, when layoffs listed in the WARN filing can begin, while Chicago is set to become a larger center for the company’s snacking business.