The last week on Yorkshire’s business front saw Sheffield Wednesday enter administration, political leaders from Sheffield and Leeds calling for rail improvements between the two cities in the House of Commons, and Pizza Hut announcing the closure of eight of its Yorkshire restaurants.
Sheffield Wednesday announces administration
Sheffield Wednesday’s ownership saga came to an end when the club announced it had entered administration.
Julian Pitts, Kris Wigfield and Paul Stanley of Begbies Traynor were appointed joint administrators on Friday.
This ended Dejphon Chansiri’s controversial ten year long ownership of the club, which culminated in supporters boycotting matches in an attempt to force a sale.
The following Saturday saw the return of fans to Hillsborough for the club’s first match since entering administration, within 24 hours 9,000 tickets for the game were purchased and fans flocked to the club shop where over £200,000 was spent.
Mr Wigfield, Joint Administrator, who himself has been a season ticket holder since 1984, said: “This club has been through difficult times before, and every time it’s the same thing that gets us through — you, our incredible supporters.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. But together, we can rebuild this great football club and make Hillsborough a place we’re all proud of again.”
Political and business leaders call for rail investment between Sheffield and Leeds in Commons
Wednesday saw leaders from both Sheffield and Leeds calling for ‘transformational rail investment’ between the two cities in the House of Commons.
Leeds City Council leader James Lewis, Sheffield City Council leader Tom Hunt, West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard were joined by representatives urging the government to back the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ rail plans.
These plans include four fast trains an hour between Sheffield and Leeds (where there’s currently one), investment in increasing the capacity of Leeds City Station, and improvements in Sheffield Station to increase its rail capacity.
Together, Leeds and Sheffield generate roughly £50bn per year, those speaking in the House of Commons claim the cities are missing out on a further £25bn across Yorkshire.
Leeds City Council Leader, James Lewis said: “Our great and growing cities are home to internationally-competitive businesses across a wide range of sectors, and we are achieving all this with poor rail connectivity between us.
“Yet these improvements between our two cities will drive growth not just in Leeds and Sheffield but across Yorkshire and the UK.”
Passengers deserve better than a creaking, unreliable rail network.
— Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire (@MayorOfWY) October 23, 2025
With Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail, we're calling for fairer investment across all our railways, including a new through station at Bradford and upgrades to key lines.
I joined @LeedsCC_News, @SheffCouncil and… pic.twitter.com/SvXiRvbT9B
Pizza Hut announce closures nationwide, with eight in Yorkshire
Pizza Hut confirmed the closure of 68 of its restaurants across the UK after the company operating it went into administration on Monday, with eight of its stores across Yorkshire to shut down.
This includes three sites in Leeds, with restaurants in Middlesborough, Hull, Huddersfield, Cortonwood and Bradford also closing.
The closures will result in roughly 1,210 people being made redundant.
Administrators took control of the company which runs Pizza Hut’s UK branches, DC London Pie Ltd on Monday, whilst the global owner of the brand, Yum! saved the remaining 64 restaurants.
Nicolas Burquier, Managing Director for Pizza Hut Europe and Canada said: “This targeted acquisition aims to safeguard our guest experience and protect jobs where possible.
“Our immediate priority is operational continuity at the acquired locations and supporting colleagues through the transition.”