Channel 4 is in the process of leasing space in the historic Majestic building in the heart of Leeds city centre.
In October 2018, Channel 4 announced Leeds beat out Manchester and Birmingham for the company’s new Creative Hubs alongside Glasgow and Bristol.
A historic setting
Now, the broadcaster is looking to lease more than 25,000 square feet of space on the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the Majestic, which originally opened in 1922 as a cinema, restaurant, and ballroom.
Conveniently located opposite the Leeds Railway Station and overlooking the City Square, the landmark building has most recently been a nightclub and was devastated by a fire in 2014. It’s currently undergoing a major redevelopment to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory.
Jonathan Allan, the chief commercial officer for Channel 4, stated: “Leeds offered a wealth of potential locations for our National HQ but the Majestic really stood out as an iconic building which will put Channel 4 at the heart of the city centre. It’s an incredibly impressive redevelopment and offers the right mix of location, connectivity and space for our organisation and great facilities for our staff and our partners in the industry.”
A digital and creative hub
The Channel 4 office in Leeds will be home to a range of roles, in addition to being a major hub for Channel 4 News. The national broadcaster is expected to move into the Majestic in the second half of 2020. In the meantime, the company is planning to lease space in Bruntwood’s Platform building in the city centre from May. Then, Channel 4 will temporarily move to a bigger space in Bruntwood’s West Gate development located on Grace Street in September, when the company starts moving staff there.
“We are already seeing hugely positive effects since the announcement of their headquarters, as companies within the sector see Leeds in a new light and look to put down their own roots,” Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council commented. “We look forward to welcoming Channel 4 staff to the city later in the year, and continuing to see growth in this already flourishing sector and beyond.”
Leeds is quickly becoming more and more of a digital and creative hub. It’s already home to major operations for NHS Digital and Sky Gaming, and more companies are likely to follow suit.
