ST. LOUIS (AP) — Hardee's is considering moving its headquarters out of downtown St. Louis, perhaps to Nashville, Tennessee.

Kathleen Bush is a spokeswoman for Hardee's corporate parent, California-based CKE Restaurants Holdings.

She tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1JdPWeQ) that the company's 10-year lease in St. Louis expires in 2017, and that "we are exploring office space options which include Nashville." She didn't elaborate, including how many employees would be affected by any relocation.

Hardee's has been based in St. Louis since 2001.

A spokeswoman for St. Louis' mayor calls Hardee's "a great corporate partner" that she says the city will work very hard to retain.