Burberry '˜has no plan' for Leeds South Bank site

Models on the catwalk during the Burberry Autumn/Winter 2018 London Fashion Week show. PIC: PA

When asked about the group’s plans for its Yorkshire sites, chief operating and financial officer Julie Brown said: “There is no intention to close the Castleford and Keighley sites. We are very committed to manufacturing in the UK.”

When asked if the group will sell the 10 acres of land it owns in Leeds, she said: “We have no comment on the sale of the Leeds property.”

Last year Burberry let an option lapse on the Grade I listed Temple Works building in Leeds’s South Bank. The firm said it still owns land in Leeds and reiterated that it is committed to Yorkshire.

The luxury fashion brand had been considering whether to develop the 10 acres of land it owns next to the building or whether to maintain the sites it currently owns at Castleford and Keighley in Yorkshire. Another option was to build a new green field site.

The group said its new Burberry Business Services site at 6 Queen Street in Leeds city centre is performing well and Ms Brown described the site as “agile”. The firm expects to employ 400 people at the site by the end of the year.

The opening of Burberry Business Services in Leeds last October brought together staff from Burberry’s finance, HR, procurement, customer service and IT teams.

It has taken over four floors in the building.

The firm has said that the historical connection with Burberry and its trench coat manufacturing in Yorkshire marries well with Leeds as a developing centre and a cultural hub.

Burberry has said connectivity between its London and Leeds bases will be of the utmost importance and its head office will remain in London.

The update came as the firm announced higher annual profits despite falling UK sales as the rising pound knocked back tourist demand. The group reported a five per cent rise in pre-tax profits to £413m in the year to March 31.