Reebok Int'l has agreed to purchase a 42-acre site in
Canton, MA where it plans to build a corporate headquarters,
according to Tina Cassidy of the BOSTON GLOBE. The Instron Corp.
sold the land to Reebok for $13.5M and the two companies will be
neighbors on the site. The deal is still subject to approvals
and permits from regulatory agencies. Stoughton, MA, the current
home to Reebok, has been saying it had a plan to satisfy Reebok's
growth needs, but Stoughton Town Manager Philip Farrington did
not return phone calls on whether any offers had been made to
keep the company (Tina Cassidy, BOSTON GLOBE, 8/22). Steff
Gelston writes in the BOSTON HERALD that Reebok officials "played
it coy" when asked directly if they were moving to the site.
Reebok spokesperson Denise Kaiger said the company bought the
land, "because it is a beautiful site," and added, "As for
whether we might build a corporate campus there, that decision
has not been made." Reebok has two more years to go on its lease
in Stoughton. Canton has reportedly offered Reebok a break on
property taxes, but a town meeting would be needed to be called
and a vote taken before a tax reduction could be approved (BOSTON
HERALD, 8/22).
