More than two years of construction at Mars Inc.’s longtime headquarters in McLean could wrap up in the coming months.
The candy and pet care company anticipates completing an extensive renovation of its central office at 6885 Elm Street by the end of this year, allowing employees to return to the building in the first quarter of 2027.
“We are thrilled to be returning to our renovated headquarters on Elm Street,” a Mars spokesperson said in a statement to FFXnow. “… Mars has been proud to call McLean our home for more than four decades, and the renovated headquarters will be an exciting new chapter in our long-term commitment to the community.”
Under construction since August 2024, the renovation will double the size of the two-story building to 126,974 square feet, add a 205-space underground parking garage, and replace an existing parking lot with green space for employees.
As conditions of the development plan’s approval by the county in 2023, Mars agreed to underground all utilities and improve Old Dominion Drive by installing a bus shelter for a Metrobus stop, constructing a 12-foot-wide shared-use path, and adding street trees.
The project was one of the first approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors under its updated comprehensive plan for the McLean Community Business Center, which envisions downtown McLean as a more mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood where people can live in addition to working and shopping.
For Mars, which has called McLean its home since 1984, the overhaul is intended to modernize its workplace for a post-Covid world where amenities have become critical to convincing workers to come into the office.
In addition to an outdoor terrace, the renovated headquarters will include “enhanced” meeting spaces, a fitness center and a number of energy upgrades, including rooftop solar panels, a geothermal heat pump system, and high-efficiency light and water fixtures. The company says the new offices will also accommodate pets in accordance with standards outlined by its Better Cities for Pets program.
“Designed to support our rapidly growing business, the new building will be a sustainable, collaborative, and pet-friendly environment where our Associates can thrive,” the Mars spokesperson said. “We are also proud to partner with Fairfax County on a number of neighborhood improvements in the area.”
According to Mars, more details of the renovation will be shared “in the coming months.”
During construction, employees typically stationed at Mars’ headquarters have temporarily relocated to an office in Tysons.
Boasting approximately 170,000 workers worldwide, as of August, Mars is one of the largest employers in Fairfax County, with around 150 “associates” at its headquarters. The company completed a nearly $36 billion acquisition of rival Kellanova in December, bringing Pringles, Cheez-It crackers, Pop-Tarts and Kellogg’s cereal under the same umbrella as M&M’s, Skittles, Dove chocolates, Pedigree pet food and more.
