Sara Lee's CEO expects to move the food company from Downers Grove to Chicago after it splits next year, according to a memo sent to employees Wednesday.

In the memo, CEO Marcel Smits stated that his preference is to relocate to Chicago, according to two people familiar with the matter. Smits added that no lease had been signed, and the company still has to conduct its due diligence.

The note was sent in response to employee questions regarding where they might be working next year, according to someone familiar with the matter.

"We are still looking at options both in the suburbs and in the city," Sara Lee spokesman Mike Cummins wrote in an email. "No decision has been made yet." He declined to comment further.

Sara Lee's North American business, currently known as MeatCo, has been rumored to be shopping for downtown locations for several months.

Since 2006, Sara Lee has received $4.5 million in incentives for projects in Downers Grove and Rochelle, Ill. Those incentives include tax credits and training funds, according to the state's Corporate Accountability web site.

Sara Lee plans to split in the first half of 2012 into two stand-alone companies: one that will comprise Sara Lee's North American retail division, which makes products such as Hillshire Farm sausage and Sara Lee deli meats and is being referred to as MeatCo., and an international beverage business, referred to as CoffeeCo.

Coffee Co's headquarters have yet to be decided. But most of their employees are in Europe.

Michael Cassa, president of The Downers Grove Economic Development Corp., declined to comment.

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eyork@tribune.com

Twitter: @emilyyork