Panera is moving its headquarters to a Massachusetts town

Panera Bread is moving its headquarters from St. Louis to a town in Massachusetts.

Panera CEO Paul Carbone said the new headquarters will open in Weston, a suburb of Boston, in July of 2027.

Carbone said Panera will still maintain a support center in St. Louis, but many corporate employees will have to relocate as the fast-casual chain pursues a "transformation strategy." The company said last fall it would be focusing on refreshing its menu and offering customers better deals.

"We understand this is a significant change, but one that is necessary to drive forward our RISE strategy that will lead us into the future," Carbone said in a company memo.

Founded in 1987 as "St. Louis Bread Company," Panera has more than 2,200 locations across the United States, including 64 in Massachusetts. It has recently emphasized "small format" concepts that offer digital orders to go and no dine-in seating. 

Earlier this year, Panera closed its "fresh dough facility" in Franklin and laid off 92 employees. The company said the closure was a result of its new "bakery-operating model" nationwide. Instead of delivering fresh-baked bread to its locations daily, Panera is working with other bakery producers to get half-baked items that finish baking in cafe ovens.

Last year, Panera founder Ron Shaich donated $20 million to Clark University in Worcester, which was the single largest gift in the school's history. Shaich is credited with defining the "fast casual" restaurant category and also founded Au Bon Pain.