Burberry to open £50 million Leeds trenchcoat manufacturing site

The luxury fashion brand Burberry has announced plans for a £50m manufacturing site in Leeds where it will make its famous trenchcoats.

The firm said the site in South Bank will provide jobs for 1,000 people, anincrease of around 200 on present numbers.

It will relocate staff from two sites in Castleford and Cross Hills in time forthe new facility's opening in 2019.

Burberry has made trenchcoats in Yorkshire for more than 50 years.

The new site will allow production to increase, "more sustainable andefficient ways of manufacturing", and the potential to develop and produceother products at the site.

At the moment coats are handmade in Castleford and the gabardine fabric is woven at Cross Hills.