Little Caesars and Olympia Development of Michigan broke ground on
a new $150 million, nine-story, 234,000 square foot, Little Caesars world headquarters
expansion, to be built at the corner of Woodward Ave. and Columbia Street in The District
Detroit.
Twenty-seven years after moving its headquarters from the suburbs to Detroit’s Fox
Office Center in the heart of downtown, Little Caesars is more than doubling the size of its
current campus in Detroit to accommodate the company’s rapid global growth and hiring.
“This remarkable building, with its one-of-a-kind architecture, will be a shining example of
what’s possible in our city,” said Christopher Ilitch, President and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
“Today’s groundbreaking represents the next chapter of global growth for an iconic Detroit
brand, founded by my parents, Mike and Marian Ilitch, in 1959 with a single store. My hope is
that our growth, commitment and continued investment in our community and its people will
serve as a catalyst for others to call Detroit and Michigan their home.”
“Building the new Little Caesars world headquarters in downtown Detroit is another example of
the Ilitch family’s commitment to our city’s future,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “It’s great to see
Detroit-based companies taking the lead on this major project, which will result in employment
opportunities for hundreds of our residents.”
Expected to be complete in 2018, this new expansion to the Little Caesars world headquarters
campus is Detroit’s first newly constructed corporate headquarters building in more than a
decade and only the seventh since 1950. This state-of-the-art headquarters campus will create
a collaborative workspace that will help the company continue to attract, train and retain the
top talent and franchisees needed to continue its rapid growth and better serve customers
around the world. The new space will provide the most modern infrastructure and
technologies, and world-class amenities to foster collaboration, innovation and connectivity.
“Mike and Marian Ilitch, the founders and owners of Little Caesars Pizza, work hard to create a
culture of opportunity in our organization,” said David Scrivano, President and CEO of Little
Caesars. “Today, as we break ground on an exciting new development that will anchor the
Columbia Street neighborhood of The District Detroit, we’re excited to continue our
longstanding commitment to the people that have helped make a single Little Caesars pizza
shop into one of the world’s largest pizza chains.”
The design and workplace amenities were determined by collaborative work groups of
employees and architects to ensure a flexible work environment that results in employee
engagement, optimal communication and heightened productivity. Anticipated features
include:
One of a kind, formed-glass façade in the shape of 14-foot tall pizza slices
Glass-covered, open air terrace and “pizza garden” with vegetables and herbs
Two-story lobby connected to a new Welcome Center
Screening room and 425-seat training room
Fitness center
Retail and dining
State of the art training facilities for franchisees, crew and employees
Innovation kitchens (quadruples the size of current facilities)
Since moving to the Fox Office Center in 1989, Little Caesars has experienced incredible growth
and now needs expanded, new workspace that meets the evolving needs of employees and the
business. Little Caesars is the largest carryout-only pizza chain in the world with a presence in
all 50 states and 20 international markets. It recently opened franchises in Dominican Republic,
Costa Rica and Panama with additional expansion taking place worldwide. As an exceptionally
high growth company with more than 57 years of success in the nearly $135 billion* pizza
industry, Little Caesars attracts and continues to look for highly capable franchisee candidates
for new market opportunities domestically and throughout the world.
This expansion to the Little Caesars world headquarters campus will be The District Detroit’s
largest new construction to date in the Columbia Street neighborhood, which is also home to
the spectacular Fox Theatre, a National Historic Landmark. Olympia Development of Michigan
has organized a comprehensive effort to ensure the participation of Detroit-based and –
headquartered businesses in construction of the new Little Caesars world headquarters.
The Michigan Made, Detroit Built project is led by Brinker-Christman, a Detroit-based company
as construction manager, and Detroit-based architect, SmithGroupJJR. To date The District
Detroit has awarded more than $315 million in contracts (nearly 60 %) to Detroit businesses
and more than $500 million in contracts (more than 90 %) to Michigan businesses. The District
Detroit will ultimately account for a total economic impact of more than $2 billion and create
more than 12,500 construction and construction-related jobs in addition to 1,100 permanent
jobs.
Michael and Marian Ilitch are prominent entrepreneurs and philanthropists in southeast
Michigan. The couple shares a commitment to developing and revitalizing the city of Detroit
through high-profile investment projects and support for Detroit-based initiatives and
organizations.
The Ilitches founded Little Caesars in 1959, and grew the company from a single storefront into
the world’s largest carryout pizza chain. This venture laid the groundwork for the development
and acquisition of numerous other businesses and sports teams. Ilitch companies include Little
Caesars, the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Tigers, Olympia Entertainment, Blue Line
Foodservice Distribution, Champion Foods, Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program,
Olympia Development and Ilitch Holdings. Michael Ilitch owns the Detroit Tigers. Marian Ilitch
owns MotorCity Casino Hotel. The companies collectively employ over 23,000 people and have
a total combined annual revenue of $3.3 billion.
Ilitch companies make contributions of time, money and resources to the community through
Ilitch Charities, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, the Detroit Tigers Foundation, Little Caesars
Love Kitchen, Little Caesars Amateur Hockey and the Little Caesars Veterans Program. In 2015,
the Detroit entrepreneurs announced a gift of $40 million to Wayne State University to build a
state-of-the-art business school facility in Detroit, one of the top 10 gifts ever to a public
business school and the largest in the history of the university. In recognition of the Ilitches’
generosity, the school will be named the Mike Ilitch School of Business.
Milestones over 48 years of investing in the city include: Little Caesars opening its first
restaurant inside the City of Detroit in 1967; purchasing the Detroit Red Wings in 1982 and
turning the then-struggling franchise into four-time Stanley Cup champions and one of the most
respected franchises in professional sports; purchasing and restoring the historic Fox Theatre
and adjacent Fox Office Center in 1987; purchasing the abandoned Hughes and Hatcher
clothing store in 1987 and renovating it into what is now the Hockeytown Café.
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