Has Leeds managed to slip under your radar? The third-largest city in the UK doesn’t shout as loudly as the likes of London or Birmingham. Instead, it stealthily powers ahead, excelling as a cultural, architecture and creative hub, while its citizens enjoy its spoils (banging nightlife, incredible shopping, vast parks and beautiful surrounding Yorkshire countryside). At Spaces, we’re going to take a moment to toot the dynamic British city’s horn for a bit – seeing as we’ve made our debut in the over-achieving northern star.
The best kept secret headquarters
Earlier this year, Leeds was named the best place in the UK to start a business. According to bark.com – which weighed up factors like startup costs, talent pool, broadband quality and rent costs – Leeds slayed the competition. The research found the average cost of launching an enterprise in the Yorkshire city is just £15,550 (compare this to London’s typical startup cost, a whopping £75,990). Leeds’ affordability and creative vibe compelled UK TV broadcaster Channel 4 to launch its national HQ here in October, complete with a range of in-house creative, digital and technology departments, and plans to film a new live daytime TV show in the city. For budding scriptwriters, producers and media folk, there’s never been a better time to call Leeds home.
A walk in the park
So, welcome to Spaces Park Row, our new Yorkshire coworking destination. Right in the heart of the Leeds, Park Row road divides the city’s financial district from its key retail districts. Fun fact – Leeds is regularly mentioned as the best place to shop in the UK, and was recently ranked the ninth-best place to run a retail business in the UK – the only northern city to make the top 10. Not bad going, eh? But yes, be warned, you’re going to be tempted on a daily basis by the goodies on offer: the new Spaces is steps away from Briggate (Leeds’ pedestrianised, premier shopping street) and Trinity, the city’s biggest shopping centre, stuffed with places to eat and drink. And we’re a five-minute walk from Park Square – a gorgeous, grassy Georgian square, perfectly situated for stepping out of Spaces to sit and enjoy some local street food when the weather’s looking up.
Work wonderfully in Leeds
How about the workspace itself? It’s divine. We’re launching top-of-the range private office and coworking space in Leeds, flooded with natural light, with shimmering glazed glass walls, and city views that are bound to spark some bright ideas. We’ve also got two meeting rooms that set the right tone for brainstorming, 39 dedicated desks and enough flexible-office spaces to house some local creative enterprises who need their own corner but value the buzz of our communal areas for broadening their horizons (there’s going to be a social calendar choc-a-bloc with networking shindigs, and to introduce you to your new workmates, so you can go and catch a nearby gig or film together after a hard day of hustling). And, this being flexible workspace, as our members grow (or downsize) so can the amount of workspace they’re using, no strings attached. It’s just how we roll.
At Spaces, we’re happy to have found a home in Leeds, and we can’t wait to see the creative output from the minds that will meet under our roof at Park Row. Who knows, one of our members could be the brains behind the next big thing on the mall screen…
Looking for office space in Leeds? We can help with that. Check us out right here
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