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Increasingly recognised as a major European city for business, Leeds is the base of operations for many leading companies and has the UK’s second largest employment total outside London.
Dozens of companies have established regional or national headquarters in Leeds in recent years, and the city has attracted more than £5bn of major developments. Business is booming with around 100 PLCs in the region and over 50 organisations which employ more than 500 people.
Banking on success
Today, Leeds is the UK’s main centre for professional and financial services outside London. Local firms like Yorkshire Bank now operate globally, and share their home with more than 30 other national and international banks, including the regional HQ of the Bank of England. The sector is currently responsible for a third of the city’s total economic output.
The Leeds office of Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP employs over 650 staff and as Ron McMillan, northern chairman, explains: “Leeds is a perfect location for PwC as our regional hub for Yorkshire — we can get to our clients quickly and easily thanks to the efficient local transport network, whether by road, rail or air. This means we can be face-to-face with clients on a regular basis, which ensures strong business relationships and a high standard of service across the board.”
The jury’s in
Leeds is big for law too — the legal community is always attracting new companies and new staff. Neil McLean, managing partner at global law firm DLA Piper, confirms this view: “Leeds is an obvious choice for careers in law, accountancy, banking and similar professions. London’s not for everyone, particularly those with families. In Leeds you can have a great career path with a great living environment too.
“And it’s not just the professions that are growing: many of these organisations require substantial support structures which give great career choices for all sorts of other people. For example, DLA Piper has its global IT team headquartered in Leeds.”
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Leeds invested heavily in its telecommunications infrastructure during the late 80s and early 90s, and continuesto feel the benefit of this forward thinking approach today. The city’s networks are amongst the most advanced in Europe and major companies such as BT, Orange and O2 have chosen Leeds as their operational headquarters with this factor in mind.
HSBC, the world’s largest bank, selected Leeds as their base to launch First Direct, the UK’s first ever 24hr telephone banking service. The service’s headquarters makes full use of the diverse local workforce, and is one of 18 major call centres in Leeds, which employ some 18,000 people in total.
Making it
Sulzer Pumps is one of the largest of the city’s 700 plus engineering firms, with over 350 employees. It has been manufacturing industrial pumps in Leeds for over 160 years and currently produces the world’s largest centrifugal pumps, for use in the off-shore oil industry.
The future is bright for Sulzer in Leeds — a new £2m testing facility has recently been added to the factory, and the company has recruited 15 new apprentices. Ian Williams, executive director of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, comments: “Precision engineering was one of the industries that created Leeds’ wealth and international standing. Sulzer is keeping that reputation intact with world-beating products and it’s particularly encouraging that new careers are being created for young engineers.”
Rising star
So what are the key factors fuelling Leeds’ success as a city for business? Jean Dent, director of city development at Leeds City Council, summarises: “The main benefits for major employers are easy access to markets, availability of qualified staff, a good internal transport network and excellent telecommunications.” She adds, “Leeds also punches well above its weight in terms of cost of staff and external transport links.”
Indeed, Leeds was recently named one of the top cities in Europe to locate a business by Cushman and Wakefield in the European Cities Monitor 2007.
For this report, 507 companies from nine European countries were surveyed, ranking Leeds highly on a variety of factors including availability and value for money of office space. The report found that Leeds was considered the least polluted city in the UK, and one of the best in terms of quality of life for employees.
Such findings simply reinforce the fact that now is a perfect time to come to Leeds, whether as an employer or an employee. Opportunities abound in a city that is still developing rapidly.
Dozens of companies have established regional or national headquarters in Leeds in recent years, and the city has attracted more than £5bn of major developments. Business is booming with around 100 PLCs in the region and over 50 organisations which employ more than 500 people.
Banking on success
Today, Leeds is the UK’s main centre for professional and financial services outside London. Local firms like Yorkshire Bank now operate globally, and share their home with more than 30 other national and international banks, including the regional HQ of the Bank of England. The sector is currently responsible for a third of the city’s total economic output.
The Leeds office of Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP employs over 650 staff and as Ron McMillan, northern chairman, explains: “Leeds is a perfect location for PwC as our regional hub for Yorkshire — we can get to our clients quickly and easily thanks to the efficient local transport network, whether by road, rail or air. This means we can be face-to-face with clients on a regular basis, which ensures strong business relationships and a high standard of service across the board.”
The jury’s in
Leeds is big for law too — the legal community is always attracting new companies and new staff. Neil McLean, managing partner at global law firm DLA Piper, confirms this view: “Leeds is an obvious choice for careers in law, accountancy, banking and similar professions. London’s not for everyone, particularly those with families. In Leeds you can have a great career path with a great living environment too.
“And it’s not just the professions that are growing: many of these organisations require substantial support structures which give great career choices for all sorts of other people. For example, DLA Piper has its global IT team headquartered in Leeds.”
Call me
Leeds invested heavily in its telecommunications infrastructure during the late 80s and early 90s, and continuesto feel the benefit of this forward thinking approach today. The city’s networks are amongst the most advanced in Europe and major companies such as BT, Orange and O2 have chosen Leeds as their operational headquarters with this factor in mind.
HSBC, the world’s largest bank, selected Leeds as their base to launch First Direct, the UK’s first ever 24hr telephone banking service. The service’s headquarters makes full use of the diverse local workforce, and is one of 18 major call centres in Leeds, which employ some 18,000 people in total.
Making it
Sulzer Pumps is one of the largest of the city’s 700 plus engineering firms, with over 350 employees. It has been manufacturing industrial pumps in Leeds for over 160 years and currently produces the world’s largest centrifugal pumps, for use in the off-shore oil industry.
The future is bright for Sulzer in Leeds — a new £2m testing facility has recently been added to the factory, and the company has recruited 15 new apprentices. Ian Williams, executive director of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, comments: “Precision engineering was one of the industries that created Leeds’ wealth and international standing. Sulzer is keeping that reputation intact with world-beating products and it’s particularly encouraging that new careers are being created for young engineers.”
Rising star
So what are the key factors fuelling Leeds’ success as a city for business? Jean Dent, director of city development at Leeds City Council, summarises: “The main benefits for major employers are easy access to markets, availability of qualified staff, a good internal transport network and excellent telecommunications.” She adds, “Leeds also punches well above its weight in terms of cost of staff and external transport links.”
Indeed, Leeds was recently named one of the top cities in Europe to locate a business by Cushman and Wakefield in the European Cities Monitor 2007.
For this report, 507 companies from nine European countries were surveyed, ranking Leeds highly on a variety of factors including availability and value for money of office space. The report found that Leeds was considered the least polluted city in the UK, and one of the best in terms of quality of life for employees.
Such findings simply reinforce the fact that now is a perfect time to come to Leeds, whether as an employer or an employee. Opportunities abound in a city that is still developing rapidly.
3 Day Forecast
Wednesday, 8th February
Min:
-3
Max:
1
Thursday, 9th February
Min:
1
Max:
2
Friday, 10th February
Min:
0
Max:
2
