Channel 4 set to move into Leeds’ Majestic building

Channel 4 is set to confirm their new National HQ will be at Leeds’ historic Majestic building.

The broadcaster invited bids from various cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle to be their new home and chose Leeds in October 2018 with Glasgow and Bristol housing smaller creative ‘hubs’.

Channel 4 will lease over 25,000 square feet of space on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the building, which will be home to Channel 4 roles from across the organisation as well as a major hub for Channel 4 News.

The Majestic is one of the most well-known buildings in the city overlooking City Square and Leeds Station. It’s had a long history and has been a cinema, nightclub and restaurant since it opened in 1922.

Current owners Rushbond Group bought the building in 2010 but it’s future looked precarious after the building was gutted by a fire in 2014.

Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s chief commercial officer said: ‘Leeds offered a wealth of potential locations for our National HQ but the Majestic really stood out as an iconic building which will put Channel 4 at the heart of the city centre.

‘It’s an incredibly impressive redevelopment and offers the right mix of location, connectivity and space for our organisation and great facilities for our staff and our partners in the industry.’

Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council added: ‘The Majestic building is an iconic Leeds landmark, and will be a fantastic location for Channel 4 when they make their move to the city. This is another exciting step forward in the partnership with Channel 4’

Rushbond Group has bought and refurbished several historic buildings in the city, and last year New Start met their director Mark Finch, to discuss what attracted the company to these projects.

‘We’re a Leeds based company who have been here over 30 years and we also look at where we can add value through developments in areas which could have the potential to change,’ he said.

‘They are often in the heart of an area but have been neglected and have lost their use or original purpose, so we look at ways in which we can re-enliven those. Those are the buildings that are seen with great affection by the local community.’