Scottish ad giant Leith is expanding south of the border with the opening of an office in Manchester.
The agency said the move is fuelled by back-to-back record breaking years which have seen it increase revenue to £11.5m in 2021, growing its headcount to 131 in the process.
Leith’s client list includes IRN-BRU, NatWest/Royal Bank of Scotland, Network Rail, Edrington Group, Nando’s, and The Scottish Government.
Leith’s Manchester office, on Richmond Street, will focus in particular on its newly created Leith Studios arm, offering an end-to-end production service led by former Havas head of film Neil Williams, alongside 10 new hires based in Manchester.
The Manchester office is also expected to offer an ideal English base for Leith’s growing healthcare operations, which now account for 25 per cent of revenue following Leith’s takeover by Lumanity (formerly Cello Health) in 2004. Healthcare clients include household names such as L’Oreal and Worldwide Cancer Research.
Leith was founded in Edinburgh docks in 1984 and is consistently one of the UK’s most-awarded agencies, including being named the country’s No.1 Regional Agency by Campaign in 2021.
The new Manchester production unit has a state-of-the-art online editing finishing suite and its initial staff of 10 will be fully supported by staff at the Edinburgh HQ.
New Manchester office chief and head of production Williams said: “It’s a great step change and opportunity for Leith in Manchester, with the extraordinary production talent available in the North West fuelled by Leith’s award-winning creativity, clients can expect a fresh and innovative new approach to their content creation.”
Richard Marsham, Leith’s group managing partner, added: “Manchester feels like a natural second home for Leith, combining our top drawer creative firepower with our leading-edge health expertise and enhanced production facilities. We are broadening our client offer in light of market demand, and continue to attract clients across the UK and beyond.”
