Farmers Insurance plans to move 1,200 people from its Simi Valley office to one in the San Fernando Valley, leaving Simi Valley without one of its largest employers.

The move will take effect in early 2011, according to a news release Farmers issued Aug. 11. In that statement, Farmers Executive Vice President David Travers said the move will position the company for “even greater growth in future years.”

Farmers’ Simi Valley office, at 3041 Cochran St., is home to 20 percent of its Southern California workforce. Employees there will be relocated to an office 15 miles away in Woodland Hills, which is currently branded as part of 21st Century Insurance Co. Farmers acquired 21st Century in 2009 and is in the process of bringing it under the Farmers brand.

Farmers said it will coordinate car pools, van pools and public transportation for people who have longer commutes as a result of the move.