Trinity Leeds and White Rose Add £308m to Economy

Landsec’s two Leeds shopping centres support more than 6,300 jobs, as retailers from Primark to LEGO keep betting on physical stores

Trinity Leeds and White Rose contributed just over £308m to the Leeds economy last year and supported 6,347 jobs, according to their owner Landsec. The FTSE 100 landlord’s annual social and economic impact report puts a firmer number on something the city already senses: bricks-and-mortar retail, widely written off a decade ago, remains a serious economic engine here. Beyond the headline figure, the two destinations helped 220 people move towards employment and generated more than £1.7m in wider social value. For a sector often discussed in terms of decline, it is a notably confident set of numbers.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Retail is one of the biggest employers in Leeds, and these two sites alone account for thousands of those jobs, many of them entry-level roles and first steps into work. The wider signal is about confidence: national retailers are spending money to expand physical stores in the city, not retreat from them. That investment ripples outward, into hospitality, leisure and the firms that fit out and service these centres.

What Trinity Leeds and White Rose Deliver

The report, covering 2025, credits the two centres with £308,095,816 of economic contribution, 6,347 supported jobs and £1.7m in social value through bursaries, community grants, volunteering and employment partnerships. Both also cut their energy intensity sharply, by 49% at Trinity and 37% at White Rose. The numbers come from Landsec‘s own report, so they are best read as a considered case for the value of its sites rather than independent audit, but the underlying activity is real and visible. Recent investment has seen Vision Express and LEGO enlarge their Trinity stores, while White Rose has added an upsized Superdrug and welcomed new leisure operators. New arrivals at Trinity include Lane7, Footasylum, schuh and The Fragrance Shop, with Freight Island still to come.

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“Retail destinations are part of the fabric of the communities they serve. They help local businesses grow, create employment opportunities and provide places where people can come together.”

— Steven Foster, Centre Director, Trinity Leeds and White Rose

Retailers Still Betting on Leeds Stores

The strongest evidence sits in the building work. Primark is more than doubling its White Rose store, from 26,200 to 55,700 sq ft, in a £9.2m project being built by Lindum Group and due to complete in 2027, a physical vote of confidence that follows JD Sports tripling its space at the same centre. White Rose drew more than 12 million visitors last year, up 4.3%, and Landsec reports retail occupancy across its wider portfolio above pre-pandemic levels at 96%. That points to a wider shift: rather than shrinking, the best located centres are consolidating footfall as weaker schemes fall away. For Leeds, having two of them helps explain why Trinity Leeds and White Rose keep drawing brand investment.