Business Ripon Retail Park sold for £8.3m St Michael’s Retail Park in Ripon, home to Marks & Spencer and Next, has been sold for £8.3m. The Leeds office of leading global property consultancy Knight Frank and independent property consultants Lamb and Swift acted for the vendors, Commercial Development Projects and retail and leisure specialist Rothstone By The Editor • 1 min read
Food&Drink Swine Bistro launches a winter feast for the senses Swine Bistro, the independent Leeds restaurant recently named one of the Good Food Guide’s Top 100 Best Local Restaurants, is leaning into the festive season with the launch of its new Winter Menu - hearty, comforting, and unmistakably Swine. Expect big British flavours, slow-cooked indulgence and festive feasting, all By The Editor • 2 min read
Business Work begins on £23.2m 93 home development in Bingley Housebuilder Avant Homes has started construction on its £23.2m, 93 new home residential development in Bingley. Called Five Rise Quarter and located off Keighley Road, the development will comprise a mix of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes. It will feature 12 of Avant Homes’ practically designed, energy efficient By The Editor • 1 min read
Business DPP Planning welcomes three new graduates to its Leeds office DPP Planning, one of the UK’s leading independent planning consultancies, has strengthened its Leeds office with the appointment of three new graduate assistant planners. Sam Wainwright, a graduate of Leeds Beckett University, joined the team in Spring 2025. He was followed by Jamie Pratten, who completed his degree at By The Editor • 1 min read
Food&Drink Dessert retailer targets double growth with Finance Yorkshire investment Batch’d – the Leeds based artisan dessert retailer – plans to double its outlets and staff within three years following investment from Finance Yorkshire. The company has 25 sites across the UK including in Yorkshire, Scotland, the North West, Midlands and London. Its kiosks, food court outlets and shops stock fresh By The Editor • 2 min read
Business Yorkshire water-saving device wins major gardening honour SealStop, the ground-breaking Yorkshire-made automatic shut-off valve designed to eliminate water waste and save gardeners’ time, has won this year’s prestigious GIMA Innovators Seed Corn Fund award. The team behind SealStop were officially handed the award during the opening day of Glee 2025, the leading garden retail show, at By The Editor • 2 min read
Business Leeds Digital Festival 2025 hailed a landmark success as 15,000 attended Leeds has once again confirmed its place at the heart of the UK’s digital economy, with the 2025 Leeds Digital Festival attracting around 15,000 people to more than 230 events across the city and online. From September 22 to October 3, the tenth edition of the festival brought By The Editor • 2 min read
Business West Yorkshire launches flagship economic plan Representing “one of the most ambitious growth plans in the country”, West Yorkshire leaders have committed to a new, flagship economic approach following the approval of six “Cluster Action Plans” at the most recent meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The plans kickstart a new era of ambitious public-private By The Editor • 5 min read
Business East Yorkshire poultry business promotes from within for new operations role An East Yorkshire poultry business has promoted from within to fill a new role. Middleton-on-the-Wolds based Soanes Poultry has appointed Piotr Trzeciak as the business’s operations liaison manager. Piotr joined the business in 2006 and worked as a dispatch manager before his latest move. MD, Ben Lee said: " By The Editor • 1 min read
Legal Matters Chadwick Lawrence welcomes 18 new starters as headcount surpasses 250 Yorkshire legal experts Chadwick Lawrence has announced the appointment of 18 new team members – a significant milestone that takes total headcount to 252. The new recruits span the firm’s Yorkshire office network, strengthening teams across Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Bradford and Horbury, in every corner of the business, reflecting the By The Editor • 2 min read
Business David Wilson Homes launches a new development in Pontefract Located on Ackworth Road, Castle Syke Grange will offer an exclusive range of just 55 three and four bedroom homes designed to suit a range of buyers. The four bedroom Wychwood show home is available to view now, allowing property seekers to experience the quality and layout consistent throughout the By The Editor • 1 min read
Business Lighthouse School appointed to lead new Harrogate SEN school The Lighthouse School has just been given a major boost after being selected to run a new specialist school in Harrogate. The school will support children with special educational needs (SEN) and enhance the offer available for local autistic children. The number of children with Educational Health Care Plans (EHCPs) By The Editor • 2 min read