Fast-growing Leep Utilities expands its Southern operation

Leep Utilities has increased its presence in the South of England with a move to bigger premises in Berkshire.

The Salford-based owner and operator of last-mile utility networks began operating from Reading following its acquisition of SSE Water almost four years ago.

Overnight, Leep become the largest UK operator in the New Appointments and Variations (NAV) market – gaining more than 20,000 live customers across 28 sites in southern England and Wales, along with a pipeline of further connections, as well as six members of staff as part of the deal.

Since then, Leep Utilities’ South East team has grown substantially – as has its customer base and scale.

It now comprises 30 staff and the new office provides a home for even greater collective experience, expertise and capabilities, all working with some of the UK’s leading housebuilders and developers.

Leep now works from Green Park, on the southern outskirts of Reading, home to the recently opened Reading Green Park Station. This new office space also has a 12-person boardroom and choice of meeting rooms.

Conveniently located along the M4 corridor, and a 20-minute train ride to central London, it’s a sustainable working environment that’s already home to several international corporations, including PepsiCo, Bayer, Thales and Virgin Media, as well as many other ambitious, forward-thinking SMEs.

Nationally, Leep Utilities has a total UK workforce of more than 120 working across two office locations. To accommodate its expansion across the North of England, the company relocated its headquarters into larger premises in Salford in June last year. It’s now followed suit, following similar success, in the South.

Matthew Ling, Leep Utilities director, said: “Our growth strategy is bold, and we’re delighted to have recently reported our most successful trading year since our inception six years ago.”

CEO, Louise Manfredi, said: “Our Reading office move coincides with the recent announcement of us receiving further investment from Ancala Partners’ £551m growth fund. The infrastructure financier made its first investment in Leep in 2017 and has since helped us to secure new sites, make acquisitions, create jobs and contract over 100,000 multi-utility connections to UK homes and major businesses.”