Google eyeing space near Fulton Market HQ for first retail store

Google might take its first plunge into brick-and-mortar retail with a 14,000-square-foot lease inside a row of storefronts near its Fulton Market headquarters.

The tech giant is closing in on a deal with property owner Newcastle Limited to set up shop in a series of connected two-story brick buildings at 845-853 West Randolph Street, formerly home to Jaipur and Perez restaurants, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Newcastle has owned the buildings since 2016, when it bought them from the estate of the late businesswoman Sue Gin.

Neither Google nor Newcastle confirmed the lease.

Reports surfaced earlier this year that Google is scouting another 100,000 square feet of office space in Fulton Market, three years after debuting its more than 350,000-square-foot Midwest headquarters at 1000 West Fulton Street.

The neighborhood is seeing an explosion in office construction, including 1.7 million square feet being developed by Sterling Bay on Green Street, along with projects from Shapack Partners, Mark Goodman & Associates and others.

Google’s total worldwide assets encompass at least 70 offices and 15 data centers across 50 countries, combining for real estate assets valued at almost $15 billion. [Chicago Tribune] — Alex Nitkin