By Business CNCT
Technology company Sharp has opened a new UK headquarters in Leeds, bringing nearly 100 employees together in a 10,200 sq ft office designed to showcase its growing range of workplace technology solutions.
Located at South Central, the new headquarters serves not only as a base for Sharp’s Yorkshire team but also as a live technology showroom where businesses can explore the company’s integrated services and solutions.
The opening marks another step in Sharp’s transformation beyond its traditional printing operations. The company is expanding its focus on IT services, business applications, artificial intelligence (AI), audiovisual technology and workplace design as it looks to support businesses with increasingly connected technology solutions.
The Leeds office brings these capabilities together in one location, allowing customers to experience the technology in a real working environment.
Among the facilities are a 195-inch direct-view LED display, video walls, digital signage, meeting-room and collaboration systems, printing equipment and a Hiperwall command-and-control solution. The office also incorporates desk, meeting-room and visitor management technologies.
Sharp collaborated with commercial interior design specialist Design Tonic to deliver the project, drawing on its own workplace design, printing and audiovisual teams to create the new space.
Stuart Sykes, chief executive of Sharp UK, said the headquarters represented a significant milestone in the company’s development.
He explained that Sharp had expanded its capabilities over the past year by integrating its display businesses, accelerating growth in business applications and AI, and continuing to invest in IT services, managed print and workplace solutions.
According to Sykes, the new headquarters brings these services together and provides customers with a practical demonstration of how modern workplace technology can be implemented.
He added that the showroom would enable Sharp to demonstrate the possibilities of a modern workplace rather than simply describing them to prospective customers.
The Leeds site is one of 14 Sharp locations across the UK. The company employs more than 700 people nationally, with almost 100 based at the new headquarters.
Donna Carrick, chief people and transformation officer at Sharp UK, said the investment reflected the company’s commitment to its employees and its future in the region.
She highlighted the office’s role in encouraging collaboration among staff, strengthening local partnerships and attracting new talent from Leeds and the surrounding areas.
Leeds’ established technology industry and strong university presence were key considerations in the decision to establish the company’s UK headquarters in the city. The new facility is expected to support Sharp’s ambitions for regional and national growth.
Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds South, welcomed the development, describing the opening as a “strong vote of confidence” in Leeds, its workforce and its business community.
Sharp is part of Sharp Corporation, a global technology group employing more than 34,000 people worldwide.
The investment in Leeds reflects Sharp’s ambition to strengthen its integrated technology offering and help businesses modernise their workplaces, improve collaboration and adapt to an increasingly digital business environment.
