Downtown in Business heads to Leeds

BUSINESS lobbying and networking group Downtown in Business is spreading its wings into Yorkshire.

The organisation led by former Lancashire politician Frank McKenna has 900 members in the North West and has clubs in its home city of Liverpool as well as Manchester and Lancashire.

Its Yorkshire presence will be centred on Leeds, where it has agreed a deal with property firm Bruntwood to take space at West One on Wellington Street.

Downtown Leeds in Business will launch in September. As well as Bruntwood, other launch partners are Deloitte and business coaching specialist Winning Pitch.

Mr McKenna said: “Yorkshire is a natural progression for Downtown and takes us into another major core city in the North.

“A lot of our members from Manchester have already got offices in Leeds so there is a natural consistency for us to open there too.

“Downtown Leeds in Business will give a new and fresh voice to the business community in the city and unrivalled networking opportunities for business people and professionals in Leeds, with the emphasis of Leeds being very much the hub for economic growth in Yorkshire.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity there.”