Burberry announces plan for £50m trenchcoat factory in Leeds

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

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

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

The news was welcomed by Chancellor George Osborne who tweeted: "Great news for #NorthernPowerhouse - Great British brand @Burberry announce £50m investment in Leeds for new manufacturing centre."

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

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

Burberry Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bailey said: "I am delighted to announce that the next chapter of Burberry's manufacturing story will be right here in Yorkshire.

"Burberry is a proudly British brand and we are so excited that our plan for a new site in South Bank, Leeds, means that we will continue to produce our most iconic product - the trenchcoat - in this wonderful part of the country for many years to come."

Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council said: "This is wonderful news for Leeds which has its own rich heritage of cloth making and weaving.

"Burberry is a truly global British brand and it is an honour that the trenchcoat, an icon that is sought after around the world, will be made in Leeds' South Bank.

"We welcome this significant investment in Leeds and are proud that Yorkshire will continue to be the manufacturing home of this great British business, bringing jobs, training and regeneration to the area."

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