Governor Quinn Announces Largest Midwest Furniture Retailer Expanding Into Illinois

CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Art Van Furniture, the Midwest’s largest furniture retailer, will expand into the Chicago area with new retail and distribution locations, bringing approximately 600 new jobs to the area. The announcement is part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to drive Illinois economy forward and create jobs. He was joined by Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture, to make the announcement at the future store location in Lincoln Park.

“Art Van Furniture joins the growing number of companies that are choosing Illinois to invest and grow their business,” Governor Quinn said. “With our diverse economy and our pool of highly-skilled workers, Illinois is a great place to do business. We are committed to working with companies like Art Van Furniture to create jobs and drive our economy forward.”

The six new Art Van Furniture stores will be located in the Ford City and Logan Square neighborhoods of Chicago as well as Batavia, Bolingbrook, Orland Park, and Merrillville-Hobart, Indiana. A regional distribution center will also be based in Bolingbrook. Art Van Furniture plans to open more than a dozen retail locations and an equal number of its Art Van PureSleep bedding stores over the next three years. In Michigan, Art Van Furniture operates 36 stores and employs more than 2,700 associates.

“Chicago is definitely our kind of town,” Van Elslander said. “This is a world-class city in a world-class state whose residents possess a great zest for life, passion for work, play and leisure, and pride in community. We look forward to introducing families to Art Van Furniture’s one-of-a-kind lifestyle shopping experience and helping them to make their homes more stylish and comfortable without breaking the bank.”

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity provided a targeted investment package that includes the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credits. Art Van Furniture is eligible for the credit worth $404,000 over ten years, and will invest nearly $5 million to open a regional warehouse in Bolingbrook that creates dozens of jobs. The EDGE tax credits are performance-based, meaning a company is not eligible for tax credits unless it meets its commitment to create jobs and make the agreed upon private investment.

Art Van Furniture, based in Warren, Michigan, was founded in 1959 and is the Midwest’s largest furniture retailer. Visit http://artvan.com for more information.

Under Governor Quinn’s leadership, the state of Illinois has worked diligently to identify companies with the potential to bring jobs and economic growth to Illinois. The state has added 218,500 private sector jobs since January 2010, when job growth returned to Illinois following a two-year period of declines during the recession. For more information on why Illinois is the right place for business, visit http://illinoisbiz.biz.