Business and Industry in Leicester

A lot of this is down to the exporting of the clothes and shoe manufacturing base east to Europe and Asia. Whilst many small manufacturers remain, none of them can be called a major employer and so many of those people involved in manufacturing jobs will be working outside of the city itself.

Equity shoes, whose factory is on Western Road, is a rare survivor of the once thriving shoe-makers in the city. Established in 1886 the company now employs about 150 people making high quality shoes and boots for the European and American markets. It also has a specialist line in men’s dancing shoes. The weekly turn-over of the company is about 5000 pairs of shoes.

Cute and Cuddly, producing a range of baby wear, is one of the few larger clothing manufacturers still to be found in Leicester. Their factory is on Vulcan Road, which was the traditional heartland of the clothing industry in the city.

Probably the largest employer connected to the construction industry is Aggregate Industries who, not surprisingly, produce and supply aggregate materials. They are based at Bardon Hill near Coalville, over 10 miles to the north west of Leicester, where they extract rock, sand and gravel from the local and regional quarries. Also in the construction industry are Caterpillar, who assemble small vehicles for use in the construction industry at Desford.

Originally founded in 1849 at Southgate Street in the city the Leicester brewery Everards is now located at Narborough. Proud to be known as a family business, Everards is the local beer for Leicester drinkers. It produces several brews alongside the traditional Tiger and Beacon bitters, being well known as a producer of a variety of seasonal beers.