Key Points
- Greencore, the FTSE 250 convenience foods group, has signed a 15-year lease for about 40,000 sq ft at Broad Gate in Leeds city centre; the lease includes a 10-year break.
- The deal was brokered by Knight Frank for Greencore, with Colliers representing the landlord.
- The letting alone surpasses the 34,336 sq ft of office space recorded as let in Leeds city centre in Q1 2026 by the Leeds Office Agents Forum.
- Broad Gate is a 300,000 sq ft mixed‑use development on The Headrow, offering large grade A office floorplates, penthouse offices and prime retail units.
- Landlord investment at Broad Gate has included a new reception and a roof terrace to enhance amenity provision.
- Knight Frank, Colliers, HKIP (asset manager) and Broad Gate’s team characterised the letting as a significant endorsement of Leeds as a business location.
- Greencore described the move as a long‑term commitment intended to support colleagues and teamwork.
- Existing occupiers at Broad Gate include Yorkshire Building Society, Orega, Colliers, Ramboll, Emovis, Hays Recruitment and Kaplan.
Leeds (The Leeds Times) June 17, 2026 -As reported by Eamon Fox of Knight Frank, Greencore has agreed a 15‑year lease for approximately 40,000 sq ft at Broad Gate, a headline letting in the heart of Leeds city centre. Knight Frank acted for the occupier while Colliers represented the landlord, and the lease contains a 10‑year break clause. Roddy Morrison, director in Colliers’ national offices team, described the transaction as one of the most significant office lettings in Leeds in the past year, underlining ongoing demand for high‑quality, well‑located space.
- Key Points
- How does Greencore’s letting compare with recent Leeds office market activity?
- Why is Broad Gate being positioned as an attractive occupier destination?
- What have named parties said about the investment and its wider significance for Leeds?
- Which other organisations occupy Broad Gate and how might Greencore fit within that tenant mix?
- What are the explicit terms and structure of the lease?
- How have local market commentators interpreted the letting’s impact on Leeds’ office market?
- Who provided the reporting and direct commentary used in this article?
- Background of the development
- Prediction: How could this development affect Leeds office occupiers, the local workforce and property market?
How does Greencore’s letting compare with recent Leeds office market activity?
The Greencore deal alone exceeds the 34,336 sq ft of space recorded as let across Leeds city centre in Q1 2026 by the Leeds Office Agents Forum, making this a standout transaction for the quarter.
Industry commentary — including figures cited in Place North Yorkshire’s market coverage — shows the letting materially outstrips recent quarterly totals and is therefore a major single occupier move in the local market.
Why is Broad Gate being positioned as an attractive occupier destination?
Broad Gate is a 300,000 sq ft flagship mixed‑use development on The Headrow, originally the site of Lewis’s store, and offers some of Leeds’ largest Grade A office floorplates alongside penthouse offices and four prime retail units.
Investment works at the building — including a revamped reception and a new roof terrace — have been carried out to meet occupiers’ evolving expectations on amenity and workspace experience. Stephen Kelly of HKIP, the asset manager at Broad Gate, said the letting is a significant endorsement of the building and reflects continued tenant demand.
What have named parties said about the investment and its wider significance for Leeds?
Eamon Fox, partner and head of Knight Frank’s Leeds office, said Greencore’s relocation to Leeds represents “a powerful vote of confidence in the city’s energy, ambition and potential,” adding that the move will bring “hundreds of highly talented people to work, live, contribute and enjoy our vibrant city.” Stephen Kelly (HKIP) emphasised the landlord’s commitment to providing best‑in‑class space that meets occupiers’ changing needs.
Roddy Morrison (Colliers) noted the transaction’s scale and reinforced Broad Gate’s role as a premier office destination in Leeds. Alex Eshelby, head of transformation projects at Greencore, said Broad Gate offers a “fantastic base in Leeds” and that the company’s investment reflects a long‑term commitment to improving the workplace for colleagues and strengthening internal connections.
Which other organisations occupy Broad Gate and how might Greencore fit within that tenant mix?
Broad Gate already houses a range of businesses including Yorkshire Building Society, Orega, Colliers, Ramboll, Emovis, Hays Recruitment and Kaplan. Greencore’s arrival adds a major food manufacturing and convenience‑foods corporate to that mix and further diversifies the building’s occupier profile across professional services, recruitment, finance and engineering consultancies.
What are the explicit terms and structure of the lease?
The publicly reported headline is a 15‑year lease incorporating a 10‑year tenant break. Knight Frank represented Greencore during negotiations while Colliers acted for the landlord. No further financial terms (such as rent agreed) have been disclosed in the sources reporting the deal.
How have local market commentators interpreted the letting’s impact on Leeds’ office market?
Market commentators have treated the letting as a tangible indicator of sustained demand for high‑quality city centre offices.
By surpassing a whole quarter’s worth of lettings in a single deal, Greencore’s commitment is being framed as a catalyst for confidence in central Leeds office space, particularly for buildings that can offer large, flexible floorplates and improved amenity packages.
Who provided the reporting and direct commentary used in this article?
- Eamon Fox, partner and head of Knight Frank’s Leeds office, provided quoted commentary via Knight Frank’s release on the letting.
- Stephen Kelly, partner at HKIP and asset manager at Broad Gate, provided statements through the Broad Gate/asset manager briefings.
- Roddy Morrison, director in Colliers’ national offices team, provided commentary representing Colliers as agent for the landlord.
- Alex Eshelby, head of transformation projects at Greencore, provided Greencore’s statement on the company’s aims for the new space.
- Market context and comparative figures (Leeds Office Agents Forum Q1 2026 lettings and Place North Yorkshire coverage) were used to compare the deal against recent quarterly activity.
What physical changes have been made to Broad Gate to appeal to tenants like Greencore?
Investment at Broad Gate has included a new reception area and a roof terrace intended to meet rising expectations around amenities, communal space and employee experience. Those enhancements support occupiers seeking both large floorplates and modern workplace facilities.
Explore More Local Leeds News
Millennium Square Concert Stage Construction Begins: Leeds 2026
Developers Fund Urgent Leeds Primary School Repairs in East Leeds 2026
Background of the development
Broad Gate occupies a prominent site on The Headrow and was originally the home of Lewis’s department store. Over time it has been redeveloped into a 300,000 sq ft mixed‑use complex with substantial Grade A office accommodation and high‑quality retail units.
The building’s large floorplates and central city‑centre location make it attractive to occupiers requiring space and visibility. In recent years asset managers and agents have invested in amenity improvements (including a refurbished reception and a roof terrace) to respond to occupier demand for experiential and collaborative spaces that support hybrid working models.
The Leeds office market has seen fluctuating take‑up across quarters; single large lettings such as Greencore’s can materially influence quarterly statistics and market sentiment.
Prediction: How could this development affect Leeds office occupiers, the local workforce and property market?
- For city‑centre office occupiers and landlords: Greencore’s letting may prompt increased interest in well‑located Grade A stock with large floorplates and enhanced amenities, encouraging landlords to prioritise workplace upgrades to compete for tenant demand.
- For the local workforce: The arrival of a major corporate office can support job creation in professional services, facilities, and ancillary retail/leisure sectors, and may attract employees to live and spend locally, sustaining the city‑centre economy.
- For the wider market: The scale of this single transaction — larger than an entire quarter’s recorded take‑up in Q1 2026 — could be read as a signal of renewed confidence in Leeds’ office market, potentially encouraging further relocations and inward investment, especially from organisations seeking central city locations with strong transport links and amenity provision.