| Historically Leicester has always been most closely | | | | the UK. They produce everything from |
| associated with clothing and footwear | | | | Uninterruptible Power Supplies to highly complex |
| manufacturing trades. Whilst the City of Leicester | | | | filters and converters. |
| employment profile shows the largest proportion | | | | More often associated with Kidderminster in the |
| of city workers to be engaged in manufacturing, | | | | West Midlands, Creative Carpets in Quarry Lane, |
| over 23%, there are no longer any major large | | | | Enderby, are a relatively new manufacturing |
| employers in the city’s industries. A lot of this | | | | company in Leicester. Producing carpets mainly |
| is down to the exporting of the clothes and shoe | | | | for the UK market they take pride in using British |
| manufacturing base east to Europe and Asia. | | | | wool in their products. |
| Whilst many small manufacturers remain, none of | | | | Once famed in particular for the hosiery that it |
| them can be called a major employer and so | | | | produced, alongside its footwear, there is now |
| many of those people involved in manufacturing | | | | only one major manufacturer of footwear in |
| jobs will be working outside of the city itself. | | | | Leicester. Established in 1970 Jemsox Limited |
| Equity shoes, whose factory is on Western Road, | | | | started life in 1934 as Debonair, producing |
| is a rare survivor of the once thriving | | | | children’s socks from the then ‘cutting |
| shoe-makers in the city. Established in 1886 the | | | | edge’ material – Nylon. Now located in |
| company now employs about 150 people making | | | | Welford Road in one of the old Victorian mill |
| high quality shoes and boots for the European and | | | | buildings, Jemsox is starting to extend its lines and |
| American markets. It also has a specialist line in | | | | has launched a range of men’s socks under |
| men’s dancing shoes. The weekly turn-over | | | | the original Debonair name. |
| of the company is about 5000 pairs of shoes. | | | | A host of small clothing manufacturers do |
| Cute and Cuddly, producing a range of baby | | | | continue to do business in Leicester city. Although |
| wear, is one of the few larger clothing | | | | too numerous to name them all, they include |
| manufacturers still to be found in Leicester. Their | | | | companies such as; All Corporate Workwear, |
| factory is on Vulcan Road, which was the | | | | Madhu Manufacturing, Raymond Chivers, Gulwant |
| traditional heartland of the clothing industry in the | | | | S Bains, Caroline M Stones and Razi Khan. Many |
| city. | | | | other clothing manufacturers have relocated out |
| Probably the largest employer connected to the | | | | of the city, such as the outdoor clothes specialist |
| construction industry is Aggregate Industries who, | | | | Bruntwood Company, who are based in Hinckley. |
| not surprisingly, produce and supply aggregate | | | | Dreamworld in Ivanhoe Street Leicester specialise |
| materials. They are based at Bardon Hill near | | | | in dance wear clothing. An old established |
| Coalville, over 10 miles to the north west of | | | | company they produce dance clothing from ballet |
| Leicester, where they extract rock, sand and | | | | costumes to formal ballroom gowns. They can |
| gravel from the local and regional quarries. Also in | | | | also produce designs to order. |
| the construction industry are Caterpillar, who | | | | Since 1974 Fashionware Manufacturers Limited, or |
| assemble small vehicles for use in the construction | | | | FML, have been producing jeans and casual |
| industry at Desford. | | | | trousers from its Gypsy Lane factory. Capable of |
| Originally founded in 1849 at Southgate Street in | | | | producing 30,000 garments a week, it also has |
| the city the Leicester brewery Everards is now | | | | manufacturing facilities in Morocco and Tunisia. FML |
| located at Narborough. Proud to be known as a | | | | is now one of the larger employers in the clothing |
| family business, Everards is the local beer for | | | | manufacturing industry in Leicester. |
| Leicester drinkers. It produces several brews | | | | Leicester also has all the companies that make up |
| alongside the traditional Tiger and Beacon bitters, | | | | what is referred to as the ‘service |
| being well known as a producer of a variety of | | | | sector’ as well as its historic manufacturing |
| seasonal beers. | | | | base. Somewhere in-between the two is |
| Also with its main offices in Narborough is the | | | | Formation records. Founded in 1989 its greatest |
| Alliance & Leicester building society which employs | | | | claim to fame is being the original record label that |
| several hundreds of people at their main offices. | | | | a then emerging band called Oasis signed for. |
| As a member of the prestigious FTSE 100 index | | | | Formation records’ main office is on Charles |
| the company is one of the larger retail and | | | | Street in the city centre. |
| commercial banking companies in England. Formed | | | | Surpac Minex are a software development |
| in 1985 by the merger of the then Alliance and | | | | company specialising in support software to the |
| Leicester building societies, it became the first | | | | mining industry. Unsurprisingly, given the past |
| building society to purchase a clearing bank when, | | | | history of coal mining in Leicestershire their main |
| in 1990, it bought ‘Girobank’. In so doing it | | | | UK offices are in Coalville, Leicestershire. |
| also became the company behind the | | | | A main supplier of IT support to local businesses |
| ‘Link’ system of cash dispensers in the | | | | is Ulysses Limited at the Troon Business Centre in |
| UK. Nationwide, the Alliance & Leicester employs | | | | Humberstone Lane. They can provide remote or |
| over 9000 people. | | | | on-site support to companies with IT problems or |
| Fox Industries at Newtown Upthank is a major | | | | development issues. |
| manufacturer of electrical power components in | | | | |