A bird's-eye view of Leeds, Sheffield, and Yorkshire

X

Leeds

New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK

We'll take that.

Clementine Hall - 10th July 2026

New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.

If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.

In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.

To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.

They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.

Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.

Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.

The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:

Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London

Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”

Read more from The Hoot Leeds: ‘This Yorkshire city has it all’ – Leeds crowned as one of the UK’s most underrated city breaks

Featured image - The Hoot Leeds

Leeds

Plans to turn one of Leeds’ most historic buildings into padel courts approved

Clementine Hall

One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.

Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.

Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.

Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.

Image: Supplied

The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.

The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.

At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.

The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.

Image: Supplied

Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.

Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.

"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.

"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”

Read more: Two giant balloon dog sculptures by acclaimed international artist have landed in Leeds

Featured image - Supplied

Leeds

Inside the Leeds factory that makes and supplies classic jukeboxes

This Leeds-based family-owned business is famed for supplying pubs, clubs and even ordinary people's homes with classic jukeboxes.

Started up in 1978, Sound Leisure really is a local business like no other, creating and distributing classic jukeboxes to over 40 countries.

This music-machine-making company notes that 75% of the jukeboxes they manufacture and sell throughout the year are bought for everyday homes.

The remaining 25% of orders are for the all-expected hospitality venues like bars, clubs and hotels, with the jukeboxes sometimes bought for company headquarters and retail outlets too.

Although there are other jukebox manufacturers, especially across the pond in the US, Sound Leisure is the only factory in the world that creates jukeboxes to play out across all formats: CD, vinyl and digital.

This jukebox business even runs the world's only 'Custom Shop', which is a design service that offers any music lovers the chance to personalise their pristine player.

So whether you're after a themed jukebox, customisable nameplate or even a bespoke design, this jukebox company's website states: "If you can dream it, we can build it".

One of Sound Leisure's prized products is the music machine inspired Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-themed jukebox which any fan of The Beatles would dream of being its lucky owner.

And there really isn't anything they can't do, as alongside creating classic jukeboxes, the same team even make pinball machines, football tables, LED signs and more.

With CD and vinyl jukeboxes from £5,000 and digital jukeboxes quoted from upwards of £12,000, we're going to need a fair few rainy days to save up our money.

However, you can still marvel at these magnificent music machines without having to dip into your savings, with guided tours starting from just £15.

If you're up for learning a little bit more about music technology or simply after admiring these classic jukeboxes in all their glory, you can find out more about the factory and book your guided tour ticket HERE.

Read more: Two giant balloon dog sculptures by acclaimed international artist have landed in Leeds

Featured Images - The Hoot Leeds