A successful banking service initially aimed at Bradford's growing Asian business community has expanded to other parts of West Yorkshire.

The South Asian Business Unit run by HSBC has increased its customer base, taken on extra staff and has expanded its area of operation.

The bank set up units in London and Birmingham in 1994 and extended the service to ten - including Bradford - in 1997. The Bradford unit started in January, 1998 and had its official launch at the Stakis Hotel - now the Hilton - in March of the same year.

It is headed by Richard Bowers and staffed initially by Richard Lobley and Noaman Hasan and supported by Paul Hinchlieffe. Later that year, Asif Khan transferred to the unit from the bank's district service centre on the city's Euroway Estate.

As the business has expanded, extra staff members, Giles Barton and Adnan Amjad, have been recruited.

Now the success of the unit has allowed managers to carry out work for Asian firms in other places including Keighley, Batley, Dewsbury, Leeds and Huddersfield.

Recently the unit has brought in extra business - 80 per cent of it still from Bradford Asian firms - and is now based at the bank's divisional office in Leeds.

Richard Bowers, who is on the board of Bradford Asian Business Association, said: "This allows the team's members to carry out work in other parts of West Yorkshire from a central base."

The unit, which was helped on its way by using a study into Asian business by Noaman Hasan, has seen the bank increase the number of Asian firms on its books from two per cent to 20 per cent of the local Asian market since 1997.

Mike Willett, HSBC's area manager, added: "One of the reasons why we have been successful is because of the help we have had from Asian businesses who see that we provide them with a good service."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.