The founder of a finance firm that looks after £9.4 billion of clients’ money has sung the praises of his home city – and urged other businesses to join them there.
Ian Mattioli relocated Mattioli Woods from out-of-town offices in Grove Park, five miles south of Leicester, to a purpose-built £15 million block in the city centre just over a year ago.
He said the move had not only provided space to grow but put them back into the heart of the city’s business district.
Other professional firms that have opened big offices in the city in recent years include Hastings Direct, IBM and PPL PRS. Established firms in the city include Pick Everard, Shakespeare Martineau, Shoe Zone and Mark Jarvis bookmakers.
New office space is also being added to the city’s property market.
Right now Leicester’s newest 33,000 sq ft Grade A office building at Great Central Square is looking for tenants through property consultants JLL and APB, while Leicester City Council wants to invest £9 million transforming a former factory block in King Street, close to the Mattioli Woods offices, into glass-fronted offices for small companies to use.
Mr Mattioli spoke as new figures show turnover at the wealth management and employee benefits business he launched with Bob Woods, was up almost 4 per cent to £30.3 million last year while pre-tax profits were up 7.1 per cent to £6 million.
He said the business had increased margins following a restructuring, while recent acquisitions were performing and integrating well.
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Mr Mattioli said the move back into Leicester – on the site of the city council’s former offices – was helping the business with its growth.
He said: “I think Leicester is one of the best places to work and there has been a huge uplift in the area that we are based in.
“Without a doubt we made the right decision to move back here and Leicester is one of the few places that you can operate high quality administrative systems from.
“People that we train and mentor here spend five, 10 or 15 years with the business, whereas in other places you might spend time on training and mentoring only for those people to leave. It pays off in Leicester.
“I think the Labour council headed by Sir Peter Soulsby has helped – they are very much friends of industry and are investing in infrastructure sensibly.
“There is also an integrated population in the city, who are respectful of each other and able to do business together with gusto and energy and passion.”
In particular he praised the £250 million transformation of the city’s Waterside area – a former industrial zone on the western side of the city alongside the River Soar and Grand Union Canal.
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Parts of the land were semi-derelict for decades, but are now being brought back to life with new homes and apartments, offices, hotels, student accommodation and leisure facilities. The city council and its elected mayor have been central to that regeneration.
Opportunities within that site and across the city and county will be promoted by a Team Leicester delegation attended the global Mipim property and construction conference in Cannes next month.
Representatives of the city and county councils and private sector will be attending.
Mr Mattioli: “The Waterside area is now becoming quality land – it’s a place you can work in and live in at the same time, and at one time I thought we would even end up there.”
Announcing Mattioli Woods’ latest interim results, he said much of the recent growth had been organic as well as through the acquisition of firms such as Broughtons, SSAS Solutions and the Turris Partnership.
He said: “Clients need long-term advice and strategies more than ever before.
“More than a decade of low interest rates and evolving client preferences, including environmental, social and governance considerations, have created challenges for people seeking to generate income, while preserving and growing their capital.
“While we anticipate greater client activity and increasing inflows into our bespoke investment services following the 海角视频 General Election result in December, there remains some uncertainty around the exact shape of Brexit.
“We will continue to provide quality solutions, maintaining our focus on client service and continuing to adapt our business model to the changing market, integrating asset management and financial planning to build upon our established reputation for delivering sound advice and consistent investment performance, while looking to reduce clients’ costs.
“We plan to build on the progress achieved in the first half of this financial year, advancing our strategic initiatives, such as the development of new products and services and our own IT solutions where possible.
“Our profit outlook for the year remains in line with management’s expectations and we believe the group is well-positioned to grow, both organically and by acquisition, to continue delivering sustainable shareholder returns.”