BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ — Burlington Stores, one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, can’t handle New Jersey anymore and is taking its corporate headquarters and roughly 1,600 employees across the Delaware River, handing South Jersey another major economic loss.
Philadelphia wins, and New Jersey suffers another major corporate financial and job-related setback under Governor Mikie Sherrill.
They’re leaving in swarms.
The Fortune 500 retailer announced Thursday that it will invest about $370 million in a new headquarters at 3151 Market Street in Schuylkill Yards, a sprawling development in West Philadelphia.
The move will take years.
Burlington expects to begin relocating employees in phases no earlier than late 2028 or early 2029, eventually supporting at least 2,000 Philadelphia jobs within five years.
Several hundred would be new hires.
The company does not expect the move to cause an overall reduction in employment, and its New Jersey stores, warehouses and distribution centers will continue employing thousands of workers.
The corporate jobs are leaving.
Burlington’s departure carries added weight in Burlington County, where the company has maintained its headquarters for decades after opening its first store in Burlington in 1972.
Pennsylvania put money on the table. New Jersey put new corporate taxes, rising energy costs, soaring property taxes, minimum wage hikes, and expensive social programs on the table.
It wasn’t a hard decision to make.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration offered Burlington $20 million through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and another $10 million through a Pennsylvania First grant.
Philadelphia added more incentives.
The city offered a $7 million forgivable loan and a Job Creation Tax Credit award, while regional transportation agencies proposed discounted commuting benefits for Burlington employees.
Burlington CEO Michael O’Sullivan praised what the company found across the river.
“We are one of the fastest growing retailers in America, and as we evaluated different options for our new corporate home, we were strongly attracted to the energy, talent, and infrastructure that Philadelphia has to offer,” O’Sullivan said.
Then came the political contrast.
O’Sullivan said Burlington found the “vision and priorities” presented by Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker “extremely compelling,” specifically citing fiscal health, education, workforce training and economic opportunity.
He did not name Gov. Mikie Sherrill, but everyone in the room knew what he was talking about.
His comments landed as an unmistakable comparison between the Pennsylvania leaders who secured the headquarters and the New Jersey administration losing it.
Sherrill’s office acknowledged the problem.
“Governor Sherrill has been clear that she is committed to making New Jersey the best place to start and grow a business, but right now, it is simply too hard to do business in our state,” the governor’s office said.
The administration blamed lengthy permitting, confusing regulations and needless delays for making investment, expansion and job creation more difficult inside New Jersey.
Burlington has not disclosed every factor considered in their decision that sent the Jersey brand across the Delaware River.
The company said Philadelphia offered the energy, workers and infrastructure it wanted, while Pennsylvania and city officials supplied at least $37 million in direct financial assistance.
The departure does not stand alone. It’s part of an overall trend shaking the Garden State under Governor Mikie Sherrill.
New Jersey Republican leader Declan O’Scanlon said the mass exodus is a result of policies and laws put in place by Democrats and Governor Mikie Sherrill.
“Democrats’ argument that our polices don’t impact business and individual decisions is such a load of crap,” he said. “The steady stream of business and job relocations out of state is tragic. And self inflicted.”
Samsung Electronics America announced in June that it would move its U.S. headquarters from Englewood Cliffs to Plano, Texas, affecting 739 positions listed in a state WARN notice.
“High taxes. Rising cost of living. Hostile business environment,” said Mario Kranjac, former Mayor of Englewood Cliffs and former candidate for governor. “Is it a surprise that businesses are leaving New Jersey?”
Samsung said the figure included employees offered transfers to Texas and workers affected by a broader corporate restructuring, making the filing a mix of relocations and eliminated positions.
Mars Wrigley followed in July.
The candy company filed notice that it would close its Newark headquarters and eliminate 307 jobs while consolidating corporate operations in Chicago.
Its Hackettstown plant will remain open.
Together, Burlington, Samsung and Mars place about 2,646 New Jersey corporate positions in play, although many Burlington and Samsung jobs are moving instead of disappearing.
Layoffs reduce employment, while headquarters relocations also strip communities of executives, professional workers, future hiring, local spending and influence over later corporate investment.
The wider employment numbers remain rough.
New Jersey recorded 84 WARN notices affecting 9,242 workers through July 2026, compared with 59 notices covering 8,571 workers during the same period last year.
That is 25 more major layoffs.
The state’s July employment report also showed 19,600 fewer nonfarm jobs than one year earlier, including a net decline of 20,000 private-sector positions.
Several major industries lost ground.
Leisure and hospitality shed 12,800 jobs year over year, while trade, transportation and utilities lost 8,000 and professional and business services dropped by 7,000.
Construction lost another 4,900 jobs.
Information employment fell by 4,100 positions, manufacturing declined by 3,800 and financial activities recorded 3,300 fewer jobs than in July 2025.
State labor officials urged caution.
They said July’s unusually steep monthly decline was probably overstated because seasonal adjustments did not fully account for normal declines in professional services and survey response rates were lower than expected.
The WARN filings remain concrete.
FreshRealm listed 628 affected workers in Linden, Accupac reported 260 in Lakewood and Danone North America filed notice covering 114 positions in Bridgeton.
Shore communities took hits, too.
OceanFirst Bank previously eliminated 114 positions after leaving direct residential mortgage origination and shifting that work to Embrace Home Loans.
Pharmaceutical companies announced deeper reductions.
Novo Nordisk filed notice affecting 811 workers in Plainsboro, while four Novartis filings announced during 2026 covered 572 positions in East Hanover.
Verizon reported multiple Basking Ridge reductions.
Three filings issued during 2026 covered 473 positions, and Bristol Myers Squibb listed hundreds more at its Lawrence Township operation as part of a broader restructuring.
Headquarters moves tell a different story.
Burlington is taking 1,600 corporate workers to Pennsylvania, Samsung is shifting its American headquarters to Texas and Mars is closing its Newark headquarters for consolidation in Illinois.
Burlington will leave last.
Its employees are scheduled to begin crossing into Philadelphia no earlier than late 2028 or early 2029.
