KPMG has signed a property deal to set up a national Innovation and Solutions Centre in Leeds, which will lead to the creation of 200 new jobs.

The centre will be based in the Broad Gate building in the city, which is currently being fitted out and will become operational in January. It will provide a range of services to help the firm assist clients with major transformation opportunities and challenges.

The first of these will be a customer relationship centre providing flexible resources, in terms of both people and technology, which KPMG says can be quickly mobilised to help clients when they need to react to change in their business or sector.

Further options include a high tech client collaboration suite which will be developed during the spring as a way for KPMG to share technology insights and trial new solutions with, and on behalf of, clients. This suite forms part of a national KPMG programme of investment in technology innovation centres in the UK, which includes its 'start-up hub' in London's Tech City opened last year.

Chris Hearld, KPMG's Leeds office senior partner, said: 'There are more than 800 people working in our existing Leeds office so we have every confidence that the city supplies top quality employees and the infrastructure that business needs, from transport to social. This investment builds on the customer relationship work that we have been successfully delivering from within our Leeds office on behalf of clients for the last couple of years, and reflects growth in this part of our business.'