CHICAGO — The Playboy empire is going Hollywood — completely.
The company confirmed that it will be moving out if its Chicago headquarters on April 30 and moving its entire operation to Los Angeles.
Last month, Playboy announced that it was moving its publishing operations’ editorial, art and photo departments to L.A. and earlier in 2011 signed a deal for 45,000 square feet in an office park adjacent to Beverly Hills' City Hall called The Office at Beverly Hills.
"Playboy's executives have made the difficult decision to close the company's Chicago office and move its headquarters to Los Angeles," the company said in a statement. "The company's roots began in Chicago, and the city will always be connected to the brand's beginning."
About 100 employees remain at Playboy's Chicago headquarters on the 15th and 16th floors at 680 N. Lake Shore Drive, down from more than 200 in 2010.
The space has been sublet to a new tenant who will move in after the remaining Playboy employees migrate to the West Coast.
"Some of the magazine’s Chicago employees have been asked to relocate, while others have been asked to stay on in Chicago to ensure a seamless transition," said Theresa M. Hennessey, vice president of public relations. "Open key positions will be hired out of Los Angeles."
According to reports, some human resources, legal and accounting staff will stay in Chicago after the April 30 move, but it’s uncertain as to just how how many.
Playboy magazine was founded by Hugh Hefner in Chicago in 1953 and is where he was born on April 9, 1926; he moved to L.A. in 1975.
Playboy Enterprises' CEO Scott Flanders has lived in L.A. since 2009, while magazine Editor Jimmy Jellinek moved to Southern California last August.
