Bradford businesses to redevelop industrial estate site

The units on Thornton Road Industrial Estate have been empty for several years

Two Bradford firms have bought vacant units on an industrial estate, saying the move shows their confidence in the city as a "great place to do business".

Restaurant chain MyLahore and South Asian department store Janan bought five units on Thornton Road Industrial Estate from Bradford Council.

The companies plan to redevelop the 25,000 sq ft site, with surplus space let out to other businesses.

The price tag for the purchase has not been disclosed.

The site was one of more than 150 assets Bradford Council announced it planned to sell to help balance its books, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The authority needs to make cuts of £40m in the next financial year.

MyLahore and Janan are home-grown success stories for Bradford.

'Proud to be based in Bradford'

British-Asian restaurant MyLahore was founded in the city in 2002 and has since opened other sites in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Blackburn.

Launched in 2011, Janan now has 12 stores across the UK, including in London, Birmingham and Glasgow.

MyLahore managing director Shakoor Ahmed said: "Both MyLahore and Janan are proud to be based in Bradford, although we now have sites all over the UK."We are confident that our investment in the warehouse space will have a positive impact on the local community and economy, as well as to our own businesses, and we're looking forward to working with the council on future projects that enhance Bradford."