What Opus North does

Opus North is a private commercial property development company founded in 2008 (with predecessor Opus Land Ltd dating to 2000) and headquartered in Ilkley, Yorkshire. The company develops and asset-manages commercial real estate across the north of England — encompassing Grade A offices, industrial and logistics parks, mixed-use schemes, and trade counter/retail — across sites including 12 King Street Leeds (54,000 sq ft flagship office), Harrogate 47 (600,000+ sq ft employment scheme), Interchange 26 Bradford (400,000 sq ft logistics/manufacturing), City Fields Wakefield (500,000 sq ft), Eccleshill Park Bradford (mixed-use retail), and Dalton 49 Thirsk (650,000 sq ft logistics). Opus North has completed over 50 schemes with gross development value exceeding £500m, and operates a current development programme in excess of £150m with a £325m future floor space pipeline. Sustainability credentials on the flagship include BREEAM Excellent, WiredScore Platinum, CycleScore Platinum, and EPC A ratings with smart building IoT integration.

The business model combines four revenue streams: property development sales (one-time), recurring rental income from speculative developments (12 King Street fully let on 10-year leases to tenants including Endless, a leading global financial services group, and Arcadis), asset management fees from managed portfolios, and equity returns from joint ventures with Fiera Real Estate (minority shareholder since 1999) and Bridges Fund Management. Opus North sources capital through the FREOF V UK opportunity fund (CBRE GIP co-invests), Bridges JV mandates, Network Space Capital, 4th Industrial forward funding, and Rougemont. Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise engagement by founders Andrew Duncan and Ryan Unsworth, supplemented by appointed commercial agents (Knight Frank, CBRE, Fox Lloyd Jones, Gent Visick, Carter Towler, Dove Haigh Phillips, Colliers).

The company operates with a thin 1-10 employee team, serving commercial occupiers, institutional investors, landowners, and public-sector counterparties. Ryan Unsworth purchased a 33% stake in September 2022 alongside Andrew Duncan and Fiera, formalizing a two-founder-plus-investor capital structure. The asset-management book and JV equity participation create a recurring revenue layer on top of project-cyclic development gains, distinguishing Opus North from purely transactional developers.

Name

Opus North

Legal name

Opus Land (North) Limited

Website

https://opusnorth.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Opus North is a Yorkshire-based commercial property developer that develops Grade A offices, industrial/logistics parks, and mixed-use schemes across Northern England, serving occupiers, institutional investors, and landowners via joint ventures with Fiera Real Estate and Bridges Fund Management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Development

NAICS

Land Subdivision (23721)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Core Real Estate (Stabilized/Core-Plus) (FSAAAKAA)

Keywords

• Commercial property development
• Sustainable real estate
• Asset management
• Joint venture development
• Industrial logistics parks

Headquarters

HQ city

East Ilsley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Development Sales: Opus North develops commercial properties (offices, industrial, retail) for sale to investors or end occupiers. The company has completed over 50 schemes with GDV exceeding £500m.
2. Property Development Leasing: The company develops speculative commercial properties and leases them to occupiers, generating rental income. Current development programme exceeds £150m.
3. Asset Management: Value-added commercial property management with income-generating opportunities including rent reviews, lease management, and portfolio optimization over 2-3 year business plans.
4. Joint Venture Partnerships: Equity investments from Fiera Real Estate (£1m-£50m+ per transaction) and other funding partners for development and unconditional acquisitions, with returns shared through joint venture structures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Opus North is a Yorkshire-based property developer that acquires, develops, and asset-manages commercial real estate across Northern England, including Grade A offices, industrial and logistics parks, mixed-use retail schemes, and sustainable employment developments. The company delivers schemes typically ranging from 50,000 to over 650,000 sq ft through direct development and joint ventures with landowners, institutional investors (notably Fiera Real Estate and Bridges Fund Management), and high net worth individuals. Current development programme is in excess of £150m, with completed Gross Development Value (GDV) exceeding £500m across 50+ schemes.

Product overview

Opus North is a Yorkshire-based property development company operating as a single unified offering focused on commercial real estate development and asset management across Northern England. The core portfolio comprises six named development projects: 12 King Street Leeds (flagship Grade A office redevelopment), Harrogate 47 (sustainable employment scheme), Interchange 26 Bradford (logistics/manufacturing hub), City Fields Wakefield (industrial employment space), Eccleshill Park Bradford (mixed-use retail/industrial), and Dalton 49 Thirsk (logistics park). Projects span offices, industrial, logistics, retail, trade counter, and drive-thru uses. The company has completed over 50 schemes with £500m GDV of completed developments and currently manages a £200m+ development pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 12 King Street Leeds Flagship Grade A office redevelopment in Leeds city centre, approximately 54,000 sq ft across 7 floors. Features smart building technology, BREEAM Excellent rating, WiredScore Platinum certification, cycle spa, sky lounge, and roof garden with panoramic views. Targeted at enterprise office occupiers such as financial services and professional services firms.
• Harrogate 47 Sustainable employment development near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, at J47 of the A1(M). The 45-acre site will deliver over 600,000 sq ft of employment space for industrial, logistics, hi-tech and office uses, targeting BREEAM 'Excellent' certification. Supports up to 2,000 jobs.
• Interchange 26 Bradford Logistics and manufacturing park on a 40-acre former water treatment plant near the M62 and M606 intersection. Consent for circa 400,000 sq ft of industrial and logistics space, with potential to create 300 new jobs.
• City Fields Wakefield A 31-acre employment scheme in Wakefield delivering approximately 500,000 sq ft of industrial and ancillary space. Planning achieved for Class B2, B8 and E(g) uses, with infrastructure works scheduled for Spring 2024. Expected to support 800 new jobs.
• Eccleshill Park Bradford A 5.5-acre mixed-use development on a former mill complex in Bradford. Includes a Lidl foodstore, small retail terrace, drive-thru restaurant (Burger King UK), and trade counter units (Screwfix, Toolstation).
• Dalton 49 Thirsk A 43-acre logistics and manufacturing park at the former RAF Dalton site near Thirsk. Capable of delivering approximately 650,000 sq ft of employment space with planning submitted to Hambleton District Council. Developed in joint venture with Rougemont.
• Commercial Asset Management Value-added commercial property management service covering rent reviews, lease management, and portfolio optimization over 2-3 year business plans for owned and joint venture properties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14% reduction in carbon emissions at 12 King Street
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Keyland Developments LtdminorOthers · 18 July 2022Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister company to Yorkshire Water, sold Wakefield East site (500,000 sq ft) to Opus North and Bridges. Previously sold Interchange 26 Bradford site (40-acre former water treatment plant) to Opus North in November 2019.
• Network Space CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork Space Capital co-owns Interchange 26 LLP with Opus North. The joint venture acquired the former water treatment works site in 2019 to develop prime industrial accommodation.
• GMI Construction GroupminorOthersAppointed main contractor for 12 King Street Leeds redevelopment and Interchange 26 industrial units. Also appointed for enabling works at Harrogate 47.
• Stainforth ConstructionminorOthersAppointed main contractor for Harrogate 47 sustainable employment development and Eccleshill Park Bradford regeneration.
• DLA ArchitectureminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural firm responsible for design of 12 King Street Leeds redevelopment, including the striking new facade, interior design, Sky Lounge and roof garden.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kier Group: UK national construction and property development group with a significant property division developing commercial and mixed-use schemes nationwide. Larger and more diversified than Opus North, but overlaps on UK commercial development and JV-funded delivery.
• Peel L&P: Merseyside-headquartered major UK land and property developer with significant Northern England regeneration schemes. Operates at a much larger scale than Opus North but competes for similar brownfield regeneration mandates and institutional capital.

Direct peers

• Ask Real Estate: Manchester-headquartered commercial property developer with strong Northern England footprint in Grade A office and mixed-use schemes. Comparable development pipeline scale and institutional capital model.
• Torsion Group: Leeds-based property development and investment group operating across commercial, residential, and mixed-use schemes in Yorkshire. Comparable in regional footprint, scheme scale, and joint venture capital structuring.
• Helmsley Group: Yorkshire-based commercial property investor and developer focused on office, retail, and mixed-use schemes across the North of England. Direct competitor for Yorkshire tenants, capital partners, and brownfield regeneration sites.
• Harworth Group: North England-focused land regeneration and property development company listed on AIM, specializing in brownfield site remediation for residential and commercial use. Closely comparable in regional focus and brownfield-led development strategy.
• Scarborough Group International: Leeds-based commercial property developer and investor with a track record of mixed-use and office schemes across Yorkshire and the North. Comparable in regional footprint, development scale, and institutional capital relationships.
• Caddick Group: Yorkshire-headquartered developer and construction group operating across commercial, residential, and industrial property in Northern England. Closely comparable to Opus North in regional focus, mixed-use development approach, and JV-funded delivery model.
• Evans Property Group: UK commercial property investor and developer with regional Northern England exposure. Comparable as an opportunistic/value-add buyer of office and mixed-use assets (e.g., Evolve Estates' purchase of Hillsborough Barracks from Opus North/Fiera).
• Tritax Symmetry: UK logistics and industrial developer (sister to Tritax Big Box REIT) focused on large-scale employment and distribution park schemes. Opus North consultant Freddie Oakey previously developed over 1m sq ft there; directly comparable on Interchange 26, Harrogate 47 and Dalton 49 product type.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opus-north
• Xx.com/opusnorth

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Opus North