The Main Avenue building is owned by Applera and has been on the market for sale for approximately two years, according to company spokesperson Cynthia Griffin. She noted that the company signed a 10-year lease agreement at 301 Merritt 7, a seven-story, 205,000-sf building. Applera will occupy the entire fifth floor and a portion of the fourth, Griffin adds.

The relocation to the Merritt 7 property will involve less than a one-mile trip for its Norwalk workers. The relocation will impact Applera's 130 employees. Albert B. Ashforth represented Applera in the lease transaction.

Tony L. White, chairman, president and CEO of Applera Corp., commented on the deal, "This move fulfills our goal of consolidating Applera's Connecticut headquarters team into a single modern location where our various functional groups, including finance, accounting, legal, tax, human resources, information technology and support services can maximize their efficiency. The refurbished space will be outfitted with state-of-the-art communication tools to allow these groups to work seamlessly with our operating groups in California, Maryland, Massachusetts and around the world."