Softcat Leeds the way to new Yorkshire office

Reseller looks north after the success of Bristol branch

Softcat has unveiled plans to open a new office in Leeds next year as it looks to grow its regional presence.

The Marlow-headquartered firm has bases in London and Manchester and most recently Bristol, which it opened earlier this year. The firm will cut the ribbon on its new Leeds base in January 2015 after giving its next location "careful consideration".

Its managing director Colin Brown said the firm's Bristol hub has already exceeded his expectations and he is hoping to replicate its success in its new Yorkshire home.

"We strongly believe a regional office in Leeds will be every bit as successful as all the key components are in place: a core team of experienced Softcat staff looking to relocate, a great city with a buoyant economy and great social scene, and a huge talent pool of both graduates and experienced sales and technical professionals," he said.

The company has not set a target for the number of staff it hopes to recruit at the Leeds office as it depends on the quality of local candidates, but Brown said "the more the merrier".

Softcat sales director Jamie Burke – who has spearheaded the growth of Softcat Manchester, which has grown rapidly since it was opened five years ago – said the Leeds project will be good news for existing staff and potential new starters.

"Softcat Leeds is a really exciting project to be involved with and one that will create lots of opportunities for both current employees looking to progress but also new recruits wanting to join a great company," he said.

"Softcat now has a tried-and-tested formula for opening regional offices, and more importantly, making them successful. This claim is validated by our Manchester office which has just expanded premises for the fourth time in five years to accommodate in excess of 150 staff across sales, technical and support functions."