A PUBLISHING firm is set to move away from the Bradford district after being taken over by a global FTSE 100 business.

Greenleaf Publishing and its parent company GSE Research, currently based at Salts Mills in Saltaire, is relocating to Oxford after signing a deal to become part of the Informa Group, alongside Taylor & Francis Journals and Routledge and CRC press books.

Managing director John Peters said while he and one or two other colleagues would continue to work remotely from the area,all publishing operations would be transferred south.

“Sustainability in business is a real-growth area worldwide, and although we’re only small, we’re a leader of that market niche,” he said.

“Bringing what we’ve got alongside Informa’s muscle in terms of marketing and sales is a real opportunity for us.

“Informa is a FTSE 100 business, so we are very much moving into a big league. Their publications arm, Taylor & Francis Routledge, is the world’s leader in humanities, business, and social sciences publishing.

“We are proud to have got as far as we did with very limited resources, but for us to be able to move on and consolidate our position in leading this important field, we need the support and muscle of a larger organisation.

“It means we can take our collections into a very large and very significant international distribution system, which our authors are happy about as their sales will undoubtedly increase.”

Mr Peters said the move came with “mixed feelings”, with the company having to lose its “lovely home” and some of its 12 staff members who were unable or unwilling to relocate.

“It is the right thing for the business, but we have loved being located here in the mill, they have been brilliant landlords and it has been a great place for people to visit,” he said.

“We are moving a small business to a much larger organisation, but it is with a tinge of sadness, and we wish we could have kept the team together.”

Mr Peters paid thanks to Finance Yorkshire, who have provided investment support to Greenleaf and GSE since 2011, and said the move would take place over the next two months.