Listed law firm to take space in landmark building

Listed law firm Knights is investing in new office space in a landmark building in Leeds following its acquisition of Shulmans earlier this year.Knights Group Holdings exchanged contracts in March to buy Shulmans LLP for a total consideration of up to £20.1m, with the deal completing in April.The firm will now relocate its commercial client operations in the city to a workspace within the newly redeveloped Majestic building, which will also become the location for Channel 4’s new National HQ.Knights will be one of the first tenants to occupy the landmark building, which has been comprehensively refurbished by the Rushbond Group, when it opens in January 2021. The firm will occupy more than 20,000 sq ft over two floors, providing capacity to add up to another 150 fee earners in Leeds.Knights said the move reflected its “ongoing commitment to provide a high-quality and collaborative working environment for colleagues” and would “support its expansion in the region through recruitment as it continues to scale its presence across the UK”.The deal, which is one of the largest office deals in the city during the past 12 months, was brokered by the Leeds office of global property consultancy Knight Frank.The redevelopment of the six-storey Majestic, formerly both a cinema and a nightclub, will be completed next month with Channel 4 taking three floors.The Leeds office of property consultancy JLL advised Rushbond on the deal.Knights is registered in Newcastle-under-Lyme and also has offices in Birmingham, Cheltenham, Chester, Crawley, Derby, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Maidstone, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Stoke-on-Trent, Wilmslow and York.