Consumer lending firm doubles office size in response to business growth

A CONSUMER lending company has doubled the size of its headquarters to 35,000 sq ft to support the rapid growth of the business.

Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance, the Leeds-headquartered division of the Japanese engineering giant, increased its workforce by 50, to 350, in the second half of last year while further recruitment is planned.

The office expansion – the result of moving in to a building on the same site as its existing office on the edge of the city centre – will support a business which has seen turnover quadruple in the last five years to £1.3bn.

The company says it is now the UK’s largest retail point of sale credit provider, and works with some of the UK’s biggest high street names, including John Lewis, B&Q and DFS.
 
Last year it launched a direct-to-consumer personal loans business, Hitachi Personal Finance, and it has also diversified into motor finance, providing dealer finance for well-known brands including Carloan4U, Stoneacre and Carcraft.
 
Gerald Grimes, managing director of Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance, said: “Our innovation-led approach is driving our growth both in terms of turnover and the number of staff employed. We have doubled the size of our operation in Leeds, expanding into a new building on our existing site in the city centre.

“This significant investment in Leeds is a vote of confidence in the strength of the city’s financial services expertise and wider business talent.”