Looks like the investor lawsuit and the lay-offs aren’t the only changes arriving to Hasbro. A plea from the Mayor of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, suggests that Hasbro has initiated a plan to move out of its current location.
The mayors of Pawtucket and Central Falls are demanding that state leaders help prevent Hasbro, the toy company with more than 1,000 local workers, from leaving the area.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and Central Falls Mayor James Diossa have scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference on Hasbro Way to demand help “to stop a large company that employs over a thousand workers from leaving Pawtucket and Central Falls.”
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Hasbro spokeswoman Julie Duffy said in a statement: “We are in the process of evaluating several options for contemporizing our corporate headquarters, including finding a new corporate campus in the vicinity of our current headquarters.”
Duffy said the company was “committed to delivering a fully-updated, connected and flexible workspace for all of our employees, and want to find the right solution that will ultimately create the best corporate headquarters for Hasbro into the future.”
It is unclear what sort of options Hasbro has in mind, but an article posted back in December 2017 suggests that the new location would be Providence, Rhode Island.
Michael Payton
Hasbro's business is no longer toys. It's media. Toys are a side business now. If they can do that stuck in Pawtucket, they'll stay. If they think they'll be able to do it better in another city or state that's what they'll do.
AzT
From Pawtucket bounces back from pain of 2018
OrionPaximus
I would prefer they stay in the state they were founded in. I have a distaste for an opportunist state trying to swipe them from a local economy.
DeletedUser_119270
Well, here we are.
I've read a couple comments and decided on my own take:
Hasbro should stay in Pawtucket. The local economy has been relying on them for years. Besides, no matter what people say, Providence is another sh***** inner city. Do we really want Hasbro to be an inner city dump company? Pawtucket has already lost several projects, @netkid . Additionally, I believe Rhode Island is working out well for them, otherwise they would have left already.
And I've been to Rhode Island. I don't live too far away from the state. Despite the small population, it is still very dense. Like someone said "In Rhode Island, if it's 15 minutes away it's too far."
It would be a damn wrong move to leave Pawtucket. But, in the end, it's Hasbro's choice. They are a free company. And not to get political, but perhaps Hasbro is waiting on the Presidential Election. A lot of people want high corporate taxes (and I won't say anymore about that, trust me, I want to).
How long has Hasbro been in Pawtucket?
AzT
Could Hasbro get into this Pawtucket soccer game?
AzT
Months later, still no decision on new Hasbro HQ
Night Flame
Not to go political, but:
Ugh. Lobbyists. This is how things get ugly.
AzT
Pawtucket-based Hasbro hires State House lobbyist
Nevermore
You'd like to pick up your Seeker toys directly from the source, don't you?
PoweredConvoy
Hasbro is about a little over an hour from me. If they move to Worcester, that would be even closer.
Worcester is a far worse city than Providence in my opinion (if they're still considering Providence rather than Pawtucket).
AzT
Worcester jumps into the ring for Hasbro
AzT
Grebien – Raimondo 'misspoke' when she said he criticized Hasbro
LISTEN: Gov Raimondo says Massachusetts is 'aggressively courting' Hasbro
AzT
Raimondo remains confident Hasbro will stay in RI
AzT
Mass. leaders hope to poach Hasbro HQ from RI
AzT
Officials: Bill won’t push Hasbro departure
AzT
Could Hasbro have designs on downtown?
RKillian
I haven't decided if the complaint was directed at libertarian rationalization or my co-opting of it. The literal definition of extortion is what it is in any case.
ScientistMan
Stretching the definitions of words and ideas with clear meanings to fit a political purpose.
Starfire22
Maybe i'm just tired, but how does that look that way? Am I missing something?
AzT
From Political Scene: Pawtucket officials envisioned Hasbro headquarters next to PawSox site