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Nike's Converse unit to move HQ to Boston

BOSTON (AP) - Converse Inc. said on Tuesday that it will move its headquarters from North Andover, Mass., to Boston, where a new downtown office is being developed for the shoe and apparel maker.

The Nike Inc. subsidiary said it expects to complete the move in April 2015. North Andover is about 25 miles north of Boston.

Converse employs more than 400 workers at its North Andover headquarters, and the total is expected to increase to support the company's long-term growth, spokeswoman Melissa Garbayo said.

For the new headquarters in Boston, Converse has signed a long-term lease with co-developers Related Cos. and Beal Cos. for commercial space on North Washington Street. The waterfront parcel at Lovejoy Wharf is near North Station, a major transit hub. The dilapidated wharf is being demolished and replaced in a project that will include a two-story building that Converse will occupy, with more than 186,000 square feet of space.

Converse was established in the Boston area in 1908 as a maker of rubber shoes. It sells men's, women's, and children's shoes, clothing and accessories. Converse products are sold in more than 160 countries, and through 74 company-owned shops in the U.S.

It was acquired by Nike, which is based in Beaverton, Ore., in 2003.