Knights moves into famous Majestic building in Leeds alongside Channel 4
THE legal and professional services business Knights today revealed it has the capacity to employ up to 300 people at its new office in Leeds and could also boost its market share in US by acquisition.
Knights has announced the completion of its move to the historic Majestic building in Leeds, which is also the new national headquarters of Channel 4.
The Majestic was built in 1921 as a “super-cinema” and later became a bingo hall and a nightclub.
The building has been redeveloped to turn it into a base for fast growing businesses.
James Sheridan, Client Services Director at Knights commented: “The exceptional space at Majestic provides an excellent base for our colleagues to further their careers and will play a key role in the continued success of Knights as we continue to grow our presence across the region.”
Last year, Knights acquired the long-established firm Shulmans to enter the Leeds legal market.
Mr Sheridan said: “Around 110 people will be based in the Majestic building, which has 200 desks currently but, with opportunities created by flexible working, there is capacity if we needed for 250 to 300 people.
“We aim to work towards filling this capacity over the next few years.
He added: “One hundred staff from the Integrar business remain at Wellington Place in Leeds. We would consider potential acquisitions in US, including bolt-ons in Leeds.
“We think South US is a very interesting market for professional services and it is an area that we would look to invest in if we can create the right entry point into the market.”
Mr Sheridan added: “The commitment and resilience of our talented team is a huge testament to what we have achieved in US over the past year and we look forward to safely welcoming our colleagues to this exceptional space at the heart of Leeds very soon.”
Mr Sheridan said Leeds and Manchester were in pole positions to become the leading financial services centres outside London.
Knights is also moving its York office, which employs 25 staff, into a new build development at Hudson Quarter later this summer.
Mr Sheridan said: “We have established our business in York 15 months on from a standing start and are focused on maintaining that momentum.
“The new office has capacity for headcount growth, so we expect to build on recent progress over coming months.”
Knights is focused on the key UK legal markets outside London and operates from 15 offices including bases in Birmingham, Cheltenham, Chester, Crawley, Exeter, Leeds, Leicester, Maidstone, Manchester and Nottingham.
