Inward Investor Commercial Support

INWARD INVESTOR COMMERCIAL SUPPORT Local support package for Large Enterprises expanding into Greater Birmingham

WELCOME TO GREATER BIRMINGHAM STRONG FOUNDATIONS & VISION FOR THE FUTURE Home to world-class company headquarters, innovative entrepreneurs, international centres of excellence and one of the youngest populations in Europe: Greater Birmingham is a thriving, business-focused region. Centrally located in the UK, and with a highly skilled talent pool, the region provides the scale and size to service the largest of business functions. This is reflected in the decisions by HS2 Ltd and HSBC to locate substantial operations here.

Birmingham is constantly evolving, and through its 20-year Big City Plan aims to create a world-class city centre and become one of the top 20 most liveable cities in the world.

Significant progress has already been made and major investments include the £600 million New Street station scheme and the £129 million extension of the Metro line. Opened in 2013, the new Library of Birmingham is the largest in Europe and the new City Park is the first urban park to be developed in Birmingham for 125 years.

We are a city that is bucking the trend, attracting more foreign direct investment and more visitors than ever despite challenging economic conditions and increasing competition. In 2016 we generated a 26% increase in inward investment projects compared to a 12% rise across the UK, while our visitor economy is now worth £6.2billion, supporting over 69,000 jobs.

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HOW CAN WE HELP? BUSINESS BIRMINGHAM Business Birmingham is the city’s official inward investment agency, tasked with raising the city’s profile as an attractive business destination. The programme sits within the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), which works to attract new businesses to the region.

Business Birmingham acts as a single point of contact for potential inward investors and delivers a comprehensive support package. This includes bringing together a project team of relevant organisations, such as property agents, recruitment consultants, public agencies and universities.

Business Birmingham’s bespoke support programme can include: Information to support business case development for expansion Benchmarking against other potential investment destinations Location & labour cost analysis Solutions to training & recruitment support Information on access to finance Showcasing the commercial real estate available and short listing Introductions to local support partners & programmes Introductions to R&D centres of excellence & academia Brokering introductions into the Greater Birmingham business community Tailored familiarisation visit programmes PR and communications An investor development programme

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INWARD INVESTOR COMMERCIAL SUPPORT Business Birmingham understands that establishing a presence in a new city or expanding your existing operations requires expertise and support across a whole range of business needs.

To help reduce the associated risks and challenges we have developed the Inward Investor Commercial Support – a comprehensive support package for companies looking to locate in Greater Birmingham, which provides you, as an inward investor, with a suite of products and services to speed up the process of setting up your business.

In addition to our own bespoke support programme we have worked with our commercial partners who are also able to offer tailored consultancy to support your growth plans.

Each partner brings different skills and support for you and your business across the following categories: recruitment, skills & research, property, business, professional & financial services and profile & employees.

Combined with our comprehensive support services, the Inward Investor Commercial Support programme will help to provide your business with the foundations you need to succeed in the country’s most dynamic regional city.

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RELOCATION SERVICES The West Midlands Growth Company has a dedicated Relocation Services team to help with every step of the relocation process - helping staff, companies and individuals to discover and find their feet in Birmingham.

Created by both the West Midlands Growth Company and Birmingham City Council, the Relocation Services programme provides relocation support to the staff of organisations moving into Greater Birmingham and the city’s Enterprise Zone. The service facilitates the relocation process for inward investment clients across all sectors by providing support tools and a wealth of information to assist those moving to the area. In addition, it challenges outdated perceptions of Greater Birmingham, and promotes the region’s multi-layered propositions around business and lifestyle.

These services are the first of their kind, and as the strategic marketing partnership for the region, we are the experts of all that is happening in and around Birmingham. This includes having a strong information network of strategic partners spanning across business and industrial sectors, the tourism industry, education and a channel of local specialists. Using this wealth of local knowledge, we offer services that are specialised and tailored to those who are moving to Greater Birmingham.

Relocation Web Portal A website showcasing Birmingham area guides, lifestyle and business offers.

The Relocation Tool A bespoke digital tool unique to Birmingham, which provides users with information about property, quality of life, education and travel Enquiries Service A telephone and web-based concierge service designed to help individuals relocating to Birmingham across the key themes of property, education, lifestyle and careers. The service is operational between 0900hrs and 1700hrs Monday to Friday.

Familiarisation Events Our team organise bespoke visits to Birmingham to help introduce staff and their families to the region, its lifestyle, culture and diversity. We aim to give all delegates a fulfilling, informative and overall enjoyable experience consisting of a variety of activities and events throughout the city.

Marketing Collateral In addition to the services above, our team can provide a range of media to support relocation including area guide booklets, lifestyle magazines and maps of the city.

Contact us +44 (0)121 202 5060 enquiries@relocatetobirmingham.co.uk

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BUSINESS CONVENTION BUREAU Birmingham Convention Bureau Does your organisation host events, meetings, training days or dinners? Aligned to our Meet Birmingham programme, the BUSINESS Convention Bureau (BCB) is our in-house events and accommodation booking team.

Whatever your requirements, whatever your sector, BCB will work with you to create a successful, memorable event, while saving you time and money. We have partnerships with accommodation providers, venues, transport providers and wider event support suppliers, to ensure you have everything covered. We are here to take away the stress of organising an event, and most of our services are free of charge.

Accommodation booking service We offer a complimentary service for all your corporate accommodation needs: from one-night and single bookings to long stays and group bookings. Our services are flexible and can be adapted to meet your requirements. Let us assist in securing corporate rates, liaising with providers and offering online booking systems to make things easy for you and your colleagues.

Venue-finding service From global events and exhibitions to smaller meetings and dinners, our free venue-finding service will help you navigate the city’s event offering. We will liaise with venues that suit your requirements and come back to you with their proposals within four hours of your initial enquiry.

Social programme planning Excursions, team activities, incentives…however your employees want to spend their spare time, the BCB team will efficiently handle all the arrangements to ensure their experience is a memorable one.

The Birmingham Welcome – support package BCB’s support package offers a range of further benefits to event organisers, including welcome branding, literature, sourcing special offers, a website and PR & marketing, particularly helpful if you have delegates from outside of the city – let us give them a great Birmingham welcome!

Our team would be delighted to talk with you about how we can work to support your accommodation and event needs, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Contact us +44 (0)121 202 5051 bcb.conferencing@wmgrowth.com

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REGIONAL OBSERVATORY Those companies relocating to the West Midlands get access to the Regional Observatory’s unique, cutting edge business and market research services. First established in 2004, we are particularly renowned for our in-depth knowledge and expertise in areas such as: Deep dive market research on key sectors and industries. Recent projects include: Research on the digital media and film/TV/radio sectors for the Creative City Partnership Research on low carbon, life sciences and digital sectors for Birmingham City University Research on the food sector to underpin the development of the Birmingham Food Hub Skills and labour market intelligence - recent projects include: A Skills Action Plan for the Southern Staffordshire Employment and Skills Board Intelligence to inform new apprenticeship provision at University College Birmingham Research to inform course development at South and City College and Birmingham Metropolitan College Bespoke analysis to address specific business issues and challenges. Recent projects include: Assessing the commercial viability of new services to China for Birmingham Airport Research on the issues and challenges for fast growth SMEs for the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership We are passionate about providing high quality analysis and genuine insights to inform business planning and investment decisions. While we can mine a rich seam of official and other published data alongside our own proprietary databases, surveys and analysis tools, we also carry out surveys, develop in-depth case studies and run interactive focus groups to help get to the heart of the issues at hand.

If you become a West Midlands Growth Company commercial partner, you get free access to some of our research services, notably: Our Quarterly Economic Briefing Deep dive reports on key sectors such as tourism & leisure and ITEC Our monthly hotel market trends report Up to 15 hours of free consultancy time

Contact us +44 (0)121 202 5073 research@wmgrowth.com

CONTENTS

9 RECRUITMENT, SKILLS & RESEARCH

37 BUSINESS, PROFESSIONAL & FINANCIAL SERVICES

53 EMPLOYEE INCENTIVES AND TRANSPORT

17 PROPERTY

51 PROFILE

RECRUITMENT, SKILLS & RESEARCH

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ASTON UNIVERSITY We have a strong reputation for helping businesses to grow and improve, providing business services to many organisations, of all sizes, each year. We work with businesses to offer advice on how to attract industrial and commercial research funding. We have an excellent reputation for innovative, ground breaking research across a range of disciplines. Our researchers are working in areas that make a real difference to individuals, society and businesses. These include life and health sciences, organisational effectiveness and engineering solutions for tomorrow.

One of our particular research strengths that is benefitting many large companies is our work on servitization. Research at Aston Business School has demonstrated that, rather than focusing on reducing production costs, manufacturers can generate major improvements in competitiveness and performance through integrating services with their products. This increased focus on services, rather than simply manufactured products, is called servitization. The Advanced Services Research Group at Aston was established in 2012, and has worked in partnership with a range of large multinational businesses over the years as well as many SMEs. We have a strong track record in helping larger businesses to innovate, create new products and grow, be it through programmes such as knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs), the recruitment of our employable graduates, our leading edge professional development courses or consultancy services. We can also give advice on degree apprenticeships and how to maximise the apprenticeship levy. We were the first university to deliver degree apprenticeships and we are already working in partnership with Capgemini and other organisations to deliver degree apprenticeships.

W: www.aston.ac.uk

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BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY Birmingham City University (BCU) is a dynamic, business-engaged institution with over 24,000 students from just under 100 different countries. Our history can be traced back through a succession of predecessor institutions to 1843. We achieved university status in 1992, and changed our name to Birmingham City University in 2007, reflecting our commitment to, and pride in, our home city.

The University works with in excess of 5,000 businesses, regionally, nationally and internationally and has extensive sector linkages providing detailed intelligence and input into future innovation, driving thinking around smart specialisation, the creative economy, advanced manufacturing and health-related life sciences.

BCU has built practice-based learning and international opportunities into every programme, and offers around 50 courses that have internationally recognised accreditations. From an academic perspective the University is structured around 4 Faculties: Arts, Design and Media; Business Law and Social Sciences; Health Education and Life Sciences; and Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.

In 2015 we launched ‘BCU Advantage’, a business growth service enabling entrepreneurs, SMEs and larger organisations to get connected with academic knowledge, skills and funding to develop business, innovation and enterprise.

In terms of physical infrastructure, we have recently undertaken a £260 million investment programme in our facilities, including a major expansion of our City Centre Campus. This incorporates the new state-of-the-art Royal Birmingham Conservatoire which opened in September 2017 - the first of its kind in the digital age.

In 2018 we launched Phase 1 of STEAMhouse, a £5m collaborative space for businesses, artists and academics to work together on new innovative projects. By connecting Arts and Design thinking into STEM approaches (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) STEAMhouse aims to facilitate new ideas, products and services to create up to 10,000 regional jobs.

We are also able to offer access to interdisciplinary specialist knowledge and to drive collaborative solutions through three Innovation Institutes themed around creative innovation, sustainable futures, and health and quality of life.

Innovation is at the core of our work. Working in partnership is at the core of our approach to business.

W: bcu.ac.uk/business | steamhouse.org.uk

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BIRMINGHAM METROPOLITAN COLLEGE Training for results As a leading training provider, Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) specialises in developing high quality, results-driven training programmes to support firms to look after their strongest asset - their people.

Whether it is apprenticeship programmes, recruiting new talent or embedding training programmes to support the training of a current workforce – we pride ourselves in providing a service that exceeds our client’s expectations.

With colleges across the Birmingham and the Black Country , as well as specialist sites throughout the UK, we are well positioned to work with employers on a regional and national basis.

We have been working with the training sector for over 20 years and we use this experience to help our clients grow and develop their workforce. We take great pride in working in partnership with employers to ensure that programmes are flexible and tailored to meet the exact requirements of each individual business.

As a not-for-profit organisation we are able to provide employers with a significant return on investment for their training budgets - ensuring that every pound invested has a direct impact on the training of staff.

We understand the commercial pressures on all organisations - we are flexible in our delivery models and reactive to market changes and requirements.

Just as with any other service provider, we provide you with an account management team to look after your business needs whilst providing high quality training and development programmes.

W: www.bmet.ac.uk

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COVENTRY UNIVERSITY We are a forward-looking, modern university with a proud tradition as a provider of high quality education and a focus on applied research.

We work with industry, governments, the third sector and social enterprises to translate our research and expertise into real social and entrepreneurial impact. We work to support and invigorate small to medium sized enterprises, stimulate socially-responsible business practice and incubate entrepreneurial skills both in the United Kingdom and around the world. The university works innovatively with businesses developing large-scale partnerships such as the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering with Unipart and a jointly-delivered executive education programme with Indian technology giant KPIT. In recent years Coventry University’s student satisfaction levels and teaching quality have been rated amongst the best in the UK, which in turn has led to impressive rises in every major university league table. We are award winning which includes recently securing our place as the highest ranked modern university in the UK for the seventh year running* along with achieving a gold rating in the UK government’s Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017.

We offer the opportunity for businesses to develop and grow by accessing the expertise and facilities of a leading university. We can offer staff development opportunities through our continuous professional development courses, access to knowledge and research, the chance to recruit talented graduates and a technology park providing tenancy for growing businesses as well as venues for meetings and conferences.

We have a growing presence across the UK in North Yorkshire, Greater London and the Midlands recognising each areas’ economic priorities and needs and adapting our offers to accommodate them. *Guardian University Guide

W: www.coventry.ac.uk

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SF GROUP SF Group is a specialist recruitment business based in the West Midlands, with 19 years’ experience of providing finance & accountancy, HR, sales & marketing, procurement & supply chain and secretarial & administrative professionals to both SMEs and multi-nationals.

Since formation, SF Group has successfully placed over 33,000 people into employment with over 11,000 clients in both temporary and permanent capacities.

Recognised in 2016 by The Sunday Times as one of the best companies to work for, our market presence continues to grow and the business is also part of the Ignata Group, which is one of the UK’s leading professional services companies with over 250 talented employees.

To offer a truly exceptional recruitment solution, SF offer real, workable solutions through long-term partnerships that will add value to client’s hiring processes. We ensure the clients’ objectives and organisational culture are fully understood and adopted rather than simply focusing on the transaction.

To enhance the SF Group service offering, we work hand-in-hand with Ignata Managed Services which provides a robust and complete hiring solution for large organisations. This arm of our business delivers flexible, high-volume recruitment campaigns that complement your company’s ethos, methodology, technology and reporting style.

So whether you need a one-off recruitment solution or a much higher level of support, collectively, our partnership approach and unfaltering commitment to exceptional service cultivate mutually beneficial, successful business relationships every time.

W: www.sfgroup.com

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LORD SEARCH & SELECTION Recruitment without Compromise We are a Birmingham-based specialist in search & selection, and have worked with our SME clients for over twenty years, to determine their requirements, leverage our expertise and secure them the very best talent available – creating competitive advantage through superior talent acquisition is what we do.

Sectors within which we specialise: •

Advanced engineering

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Business, Professional and Financial Services

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Environmental Technology

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Food and Drink Information, Technology, Electronics & Communications Life Sciences

Talent is your most important asset, it is ours as well - our experienced consultants are grouped into practice areas defined by sector and organisational function, providing you with a focused group of experts who will bring the most relevant knowledge, resources and expertise to each assignment.

We have specialist expertise in the following areas: •

Board and CEO

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Procurement and Supply Chain

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Accountancy and Finance

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Sales and Marketing

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Human Resources

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Interim Management

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Information Technology

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Manufacturing and Engineering

In an increasingly candidate-driven market, optimised opportunity and client positioning is essential.

Our thorough approach to requirement definition and client positioning is supported by in-depth sector knowledge, a meticulous market-mapping process and superior candidate contact expertise, ensuring that as your trusted ambassador we only engage with and secure the very best talent available. It’s the quality of our process and the candidates it generates that defines us. The range of roles we recruit for is broad, both permanent and interim, from highly experienced CEOs and CFOs to thought-leading technical specialists and newly qualified ACAs. W: www.lord.co.uk

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UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM More than ever businesses and universities need to work together to address shared challenges. At the University of Birmingham, we are driving innovation through collaborative research partnerships with organisations of all sizes, across many sectors.

From the arts to engineering we are forming relationships with business, to work on collaborative projects and make important things happen.

The University has a proud history of working with and transforming business, and delivering the best graduates to employers. At the same time, we are driving innovation, with over 365 patents held by the University, 154 new inventions recorded, and 30 active University spin-out companies.

Indeed, we contribute ÂŁ3.5 billion every year to the economy.

We are a large university, with over 7,500 staff who are working across a comprehensive range of disciplines, including: Advanced Manufacturing, Translational Medicine, Health and Medical Technologies, Responsible Business, Energy, Transport, Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

There are a number of ways in which we can work with you, including: Collaborative projects and partnerships: We want to build lasting partnerships with organisations to engage in transformative projects and share knowledge. Strategic relationships can help to deliver serious impact for business and society by steering sectors and shaping policy.

Contract research: Every collaboration is bespoke, we partner you with our leading academics to find novel solutions to your research and development needs.

Funding support: The financial cost of generating the new ideas, technologies and processes to achieve a competitive advantage can be high. We can source funding opportunities that may be available for your organisation and use those to drive your ambitions into reality.

Access our students: We are developing the future workforce. The University has over 34,160 students, who are looking for placements, experience and careers.

Degree Apprenticeships: We can help your organisation to maximise the degree apprenticeship levy through a mixture of higher and vocational education, allowing you to develop and retain outstanding talent.

W: birmingham.ac.uk/partners

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UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK Working with business is at the heart of what we do. From our inception, Warwick has always had strong connections with industry. The present is no different.

We apply our innovative, cutting-edge research to industry challenges, working with companies from global corporates to SMEs and local start-ups. We offer businesses access to our outstanding research equipment and provide collaborative opportunities through our Global Research Priorities programme.

We’re epitomising our approach to working with industry, as well as our commitment to supporting economic growth in our region, with the development of a new Innovation Campus at Wellesbourne.

We’re creating a centre optimised for true collaborative working, with inspirational businesses invited to join us at the Campus to develop a suite of knowledge-intensive activities.

Broadening our connections, WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) is building the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) on our campus, with partners Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Motors European Technical Centre.

Warwick Business School has opened a base at The Shard in London, making its world-renowned research even more accessible to the UK capital.

Warwick Conferences has expanded its first-class conference and training venues by adding a new 650 sq m venue on campus.

With the support of Warwick Ventures, Warwick spinout companies have closed over £25m in the current financial year in investment and grant funding that supports translation of the University’s research into commercial innovations.

The University of Warwick Science Park has more than 500,000 sq ft of flexible space across Coventry, Warwick and Solihull, and can provide destination space for businesses looking to establish a presence in the region.

W: www2.warwick.ac.uk

PROPERTY

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ARGENT LLP Argent has been instrumental to two landmark development schemes in Birmingham, Brindleyplace and now Paradise, as well as the £2 billion, 67 acre King’s Cross development in London.

Helping to transform the historic heart of Britain’s second city, Argent’s role as developer-manager for the £700 million Paradise Joint Venture sees it delivering 1.8 million square foot of world class office, retail and leisure space.

Phase one of the scheme, which includes new public realm and 355,000 square foot of commercial space in One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square, is rapidly moving towards completion.

Phase two, which includes the striking 280,000 square foot One Centenary Way overlooking Centenary Square, is due to start later in 2018, while a 250-bedroom four star hotel will follow.

The Paradise location is rich in British heritage and overflowing with historical charm. In the past it was a place where arts, learning and commerce flourished side by side, while its latest transformation sees Paradise inspiring a new generation of visitors, residents, thinkers and doers.

It is a thriving business location, a culturally rich community and an enhanced location for some of Birmingham’s finest attractions.

Connecting north and south as well as east and west, Paradise opens up new pedestrian access to Centenary Square, the Library of Birmingham, the REP and the ICC as well as bringing other parts of the city like the Jewellery Quarter, Westside and Colmore Business District closer together.

Home to leading international businesses like PwC who rub shoulders with Birmingham’s Museum & Art Gallery and Town Hall, Paradise Birmingham seamlessly mixes the old with the new, the cultural with the commercial.

W: www.argentllp.co.uk

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BALFOUR BEATTY Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 30,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power & utility systems, plus social and commercial buildings.

Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction Services business is a leading integrator of complex, sophisticated and innovative projects that improve the UK’s and Ireland’s national infrastructure and an experienced provider of local and regional projects that help build lasting communities. The company firmly believes in investing in the skills of its local workforce and works with a supply chain that includes a substantial proportion of local businesses; in 2016, Balfour Beatty spent over £1.4bn with just over 10,000 SME suppliers.

The company’s association with the north and Midlands began with George Balfour’s decision in 1912 to register a company that supplied electricity for the area, a business that eventually became the Midlands Counties Electric Supply Company. Since then, the company’s north and Midlands regional business has developed key relationships with clients in the universities, private rental, local authorities as well as flood and coastal sectors. In particular, it has developed expertise in Early Contractor Involvement and delivering multi-year frameworks. Today, the company employs around 700 individuals in the region.

In and around Birmingham, Balfour Beatty has delivered projects including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, high-spec office development Two Snow Hill, University of Birmingham’s Chamberlain Halls, Metro extension from Snow Hill to New Street and works within Birmingham New Street station.

With our local knowledge and national expertise, we can help you finance, build, develop and maintain your building and infrastructure.

W: www.balfourbeatty.com

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BIRMINGHAM LIFE SCIENCES PARK Birmingham Life Sciences Park (BLSP) is a 10 acre development at the heart of Birmingham Health Partners’ (BHP) campus in Selly Oak. (BHP is a strategic alliance between the University of Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham and Birmingham Women’s & Children’s NHS Foundation Trusts) Through the creation of the Park we aim to develop cutting-edge facilities to provide a bespoke physical home for collaborative research and data-enabled healthcare innovation: a place where life sciences businesses can thrive.

Birmingham Life Sciences Park (BLSP) will deliver tailored facilities, collaboration spaces and technology platforms to allow businesses to harness the power of Birmingham’s unrivalled healthcare infrastructure. It will integrate commercial power with our region’s research and clinical strengths to accelerate life sciences research, taking innovative new healthcare treatments and technologies from early development to real life application.

BLSP will provide commercial space for innovative Life Sciences businesses seeking to co-locate and will act as the entry point for businesses to access the Birmingham and wider West Midlands Life Sciences ecosystem.

Outline planning permission has been received for the site for approximately 54,000sqm of development space. It is envisaged that this will be developed in two distinct phases.

Phase 1 Innovation Building: Will deliver circa 18,000sqm of facilities and infrastructure to support accelerated innovation, from concept to clinic with a focus on diagnostics, data platforms and advanced therapies.

Phase 2 Commercial Buildings: Will deliver circa 36,000 sqm commercial pre-let and rental space for innovative biomedical businesses seeking to co-locate within the BHP ecosystem.

This prime location also benefits from excellent transport links; the University has its own railway station with journey times of under 10 minutes to Birmingham City Centre, and 30 minutes to Birmingham International Airport.

W: www.blsp.co.uk

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BIRMINGHAM RESEARCH PARK The Birmingham Research Park offers a prime location for companies that want a foothold in the University of Birmingham’s long-established innovation ecosystem.

Situated on the edge of the University campus, the Research Park provides commercial office space for technology companies and social enterprises, and meeting and conference facilities.

Commercial tenants are a mixture of University spinouts and research-based companies who benefit from the close proximity to a world-ranking, research-intensive university and the translational expertise that is embedded around it. Tenants can also access the services of the BizzInn business incubator on the same site, which provides training for innovative technologyfocussed entrepreneurs, start-ups and medium sized business.

The Research Park also houses the University’s business incubation, business support, technology transfer services, and the Business Engagement function, which provides solutions to manufacturing problems, support for new product development or processes, and access to the laboratories and testing facilities at the University.

The Research Park has a purpose-built, on-site bio-incubator, the BioHub Birmingham®, which provides fully equipped laboratory space for early-stage life science research, or established companies that wish to locate their R&D in Birmingham.

The Research Park is serviced by the University’s dedicated train station, making it highly accessible by public transport, has its own meeting and conference facilities and secure parking.

The Birmingham Research Park is managed by University of Birmingham Enterprise, which delivers technology transfer, business training and facilities for the University of Birmingham.

For more information about the Birmingham Research Park visit www.birminghamresearchpark.co.uk.

For more information about University of Birmingham Enterprise visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/enterprise.

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BIZZ INN The BizzInn is the University of Birmingham’s small business incubator. It provides training and business support services for innovative technology-focused entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs that wish to scale.

The BizzInn is staffed by mentors, sector-specific entrepreneurs in residence and business trainers, and its training programmes are purposed to support four key value inflexion points: idea validation, business growth, scale-up and talent acquisition.

BizzInn members become part of the well-connected and long established innovation ecosystem at the University of Birmingham. They get access to and training from business support specialists including technology transfer professionals, trade and cluster associations, and also benefit from the regular investment competitions that are run in the West Midlands.

The BizzInn is situated in the Birmingham Research Park, which houses the University’s ‘BioHub’ bio-incubator, academic consultancy, technology transfer and Business Engagement functions as well as providing commercial space for technology companies and social enterprises.

The BizzInn is managed by University of Birmingham Enterprise. For more information about University of Birmingham Enterprise visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/enterprise.

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BRUNTWOOD Bruntwood is a family-owned and -run property company the goal of which is to create the right places for people to succeed.

For our customers, we focus on creating the right environments for their businesses to thrive, no matter what sector they operate in. We develop, let and manage all our own buildings, combining an innovative approach to property development with a single-minded focus on the needs of our customers: if it doesn’t work for them, then it doesn’t work for us.

This approach is nowhere more evident than in our latest development: Cornerblock, situated in the heart of Birmingham’s Colmore Business District. Designed to meet the needs of contemporary work culture, Cornerblock presents a unique opportunity for businesses to shape their workplaces in a building which promotes vibrancy and employee wellness.

In the cities that we operate, we always keep an eye on the bigger picture, as our goal is to create growth that is sustainable in the long-term. If our cities improve and grow that helps us to do the same. For our business to be successful, we need our communities to be both good places to do business and good places to live.

We work closely with public sector partners and other stakeholders to make the most of opportunities for growth and development, as well as investing a percentage of our profits into cultural, community and charitable endeavours that make a real difference to people’s lives.

W: www.bruntwood.co.uk

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CBRE CBRE is the world’s largest commercial property consultancy, with more than 80,000 employees in 450 offices, based in more than 60 countries around the globe.

In Birmingham, the firm employs more than 130 people, working from its offices at 55 Temple Row. An award-winning full-service consultancy, the Birmingham teams work across the Midlands, enjoying dominant market positions in capital markets (investment), office and industrial & logistics agency.

CBRE’s teams offer a broad range of integrated services, including strategic advice and execution of property sales and leasing; tenant representation; property & asset management, facilities and project management; appraisal and valuation; development services (including residential); investment management; energy and sustainability services, and research and consulting, capital advisory, town and country planning, retail and corporate services.

The firm works with occupiers, investors and developers of office, industrial and logistic, mixed-use and residential land and property.

Recently CBRE have successfully marketed two of Birmingham’s premier office developments, Paradise and Arena Central, including the delivery of a 25-year pre-let to HMRC on a 238,988 sq ft location at 3 Arena Central Row. In the last 18 months, CBRE Birmingham have advised on numerous headline-making investment deals including the sale of 2 St Philips Place for £26.625m, and of One Eleven Edmund Street for £22.545m. CBRE were also responsible for securing £125m of funding for 3 Arena Central and for the £260m sale of the mixed-use development, Brindleyplace.

CBRE also acted for the purchaser of 19 Cornwall Street, at a price of £35.65m.

W: www.cbre.co.uk

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COURT COLLABORATION Birmingham property developer Court Collaboration and its residential sales arm Court Living are pushing the boundaries of city living to cater to an increasingly discerning range of customers moving to the city.

Court prides itself on developing luxury apartments across the Greater Birmingham region ranging from first time buyer starter homes, through to ideal investment opportunities and luxury city centre penthouse apartments, with prices ranging from ÂŁ170,000 to ÂŁ800,000.

With Court developing in excess of 5000 apartments by 2020, the Court Living sales team have a selection of available properties and off-plan investment opportunities, to suit either businesses or individuals looking to relocate and invest in Birmingham property.

The Court Living team take the time to understand each individual customers’ requirements. Some want location, for some it is excellent specifications or with the launch of HS2, some customers are looking for the ideal home within commuting distance to the capital. (Birmingham to London via HS2 will be 49 minutes travel time) When purchasing a property through Court Living, the team not only help secure the perfect home or investment property, but they are also on hand to assist from the point of reservation through to completion.

From the conveyancing process, to the arrangement of furniture packs, inspecting the property and handing over the keys, Court Living will be there every step of the journey to ensure the process is as stress free and enjoyable as possible.

Such is our commitment to our developments and purchasers that the journey doesn't end there, as Court Living will stay in touch for 12 - 24 months after completion, rectifying any issues purchasers may encounter or to help with any queries, providing one single contact from start to finish.

W: www.court-living.com

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DIGBETH ESTATE

The Digbeth Estate and Custard Factory covers 16 acre in the heart of Digbeth and is home to over 500 eclectic business spanning the creative, media and tech sectors.

Our buildings include : The Custard Factory (offices, leisure, retail), Gibb Street – newly refurbished Green House (opposite the Custard Factory) – office suites and retail units – newly refurbished Fazeley Studios (Fazeley Street) – workspace, event space, restaurant all in a converted church and warehouse.

The Bond (Fazeley Street) – the Old HP Sauce Factory. Canalside offices, events and a café.

The Arch – modern offices suites in a converted dairy.

Digbeth is having its moment in the sun. This part of Birmingham is getting its own Metro Station, thousands of new homes and is 700m from the Bullring, a short walk to Moor Street Station and will be the closest district to HS2 in the mid-2020s.

W: www.custardfactory.co.uk

28

GLEEDS Gleeds is a global property and construction consultancy that has built its reputation on delivering award-winning projects around the world. Gleeds helps businesses and investors achieve best value from their assets by providing advice that is reassuringly free from conflict of interest. With over 130 years’ experience, our impartial intelligence is key to helping clients realise their projects on budget, on time and to an exceptional quality.

We provide specialist advice, safeguarding our clients’ best interest from the complexity of construction and property projects. This includes support from establishing funding opportunities and business plans, to technical team appointment and management, through to the implementation, construction and delivery stages of projects. Our extensive range of services fall into four main categories: •

Programme & project management

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Commercial & contract management

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Property & asset management

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Advisory services

Gleeds operates a partnering principle with clients and project teams, offering impartial advice across an extensive range of services to provide solutions for every stage of the property lifecycle.

With 71 offices across six continents, handling a multitude of prestigious property and construction projects, we’re always looking for the best people to join our team. The combination of our global experience and our understanding of local markets means that we provide an outstanding service to our clients. In fact, no other independent and multidisciplinary consultancy has the same history, resource and financial strength to handle complex contracts on both a multinational or local basis.

W: www.gleeds.com/

29

GLENN HOWELLS ARCHITECTS We are an award-winning design studio with national and international reach. With offices in Birmingham and London, underpinning our practice is an approach rooted in the constant exploration of ideas about how buildings and cities are made built and how they can improve the lives of individuals and communities.

In keeping to these core principles, we have secured a reputation for delivering high quality buildings across all sectors and masterplans which have transformed large parts of UK’s largest cities, including Birmingham.

We are fortunate to work with creative people who share our vision. We have built long-lasting and trusting relationships with our team, clients and collaborators. These relationships have allowed us to push boundaries to develop transformational and bespoke design solutions.

History The practice was founded by Glenn Howells in 1990, with the idea of working on exciting projects for like-minded clients. Our first breaks were being invited to work on the Custard Factory in Birmingham and in winning the competition to design Hereford Theatre – both of which we are now revisiting and remodelling. Since then we have grown steadily and won some remarkable commissions. We are now fortunate to be working on projects of all sizes and types that are pushing us to explore and stretch ourselves.

Ideas We test our designs through a vigorous and open design review process. We have learnt that for our design teams to excel they need equally strong and committed support and we have our own inhouse visualisation, model-making, interior and graphic designers and technical teams that provide a multifaceted examination of design concepts and details.

Buildings and Places We work throughout the UK in sectors including residential, masterplaning, office, culture, education, retail, health and leisure. Our projects have won a diverse range of awards including the RIBA, BCO, Housing Design, RICS, Civic Trust, Concrete Society and Brick Awards. The Savill Building was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2007.

W: www.glennhowells.co.uk

30

GVA GVA’s specialist knowledge of the Midlands Real Estate Market is based on a heritage that dates back to 1820.

Today, GVA is recognised as the leading property adviser in the Midlands with over 350 directors and staff based in Birmingham.

GVA is working harder than ever for its clients, seeking to deliver solutions that bring tangible results to people, business and communities. Its specialist knowledge ranges through the property life cycle from planning, development and regeneration consultancy through the construction process to valuation, asset and property management, marketing to agency and investment transactions.

Advising both public and private sector clients we have played a key role in helping to bring forward many of the region’s most significant regeneration projects including Paradise Birmingham, Brindleyplace, the Curzon Master Plan Area, Smithfield, Arena Central, Eastside, Friargate Coventry and Arden Cross.

GVA works closely with the Core Cities Group and Centre for Cities in support of Greater Birmingham, the West Midlands Combined Authority and Midlands Engine under the devolution deal.

W: www.gva.co.uk/birmingham

31

HARRIS LAMB Established in 1992, Harris Lamb is one of the UK’s largest independently owned property consultancy businesses. With a firm foothold in the Midlands, more than 60 employees are based at the business’s flagship office on Francis Road, working alongside colleagues at Harris Lamb’s additional offices in Worcester, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent, to offer a diverse, comprehensive range of property services to a UK-wide client base.

The award-winning agency team has been cited by industry experts CoStar as the sector leader within the Midlands industrial market, beating competitors across the region in 2016 in terms of availability, number of instructions and number of deals.

Further services offered by the business include: investment; planning; property management; residential and affordable housing; sale and leaseback; development; valuation; rating; retail; licensing and leisure; building consultancy; recoveries and receivership; lease advisory and corporate support.

With a diverse client portfolio of investors, developers and occupiers, Harris lamb has been responsible for overseeing some of the largest deals within the region, including the £16 million sale of a Nottingham warehouse on behalf of Legal & General Investment Management Real Assets, pre-letting of a 600,000 sq ft warehouse at Prologis Park, Fradley, to Screwfix, an 80,000 sq ft freehold design and build for Specsavers in Kidderminster and the acquisition of a 135,000sq ft site for ERA on a pre-let basis at i54, Wolverhampton.

Harris Lamb has also been retained by a number of retail and restaurant chains to identify and acquire new sites across the country as part of their national roll-out strategies.

W: www.harrislamb.com

32

INNOVATION BIRMINGHAM CAMPUS Innovation Birmingham Campus is the leading location for Birmingham’s digital and tech community. Providing office suites, meeting rooms, conferencing and hot-desking facilities, the Campus creates the arena for innovators, entrepreneurs and established businesses to thrive.

Currently home to over 160 digital technology businesses making up a growing community of over 1,000 techies and entrepreneurs, the Campus facilitates connections between industry experts, commercial partners and regional influencers. The UK’s largest location for digital technology businesses is currently home to a number of innovation activities delivered by large corporate brands, such as Tata Motors, Barclays, West Midlands Academic Health Science Network and the West Midlands Combined Authority.

With an impressive 180-seat auditorium and six-metre-wide presentation screen, Innovation Birmingham Campus successfully delivers over 140 annual events, including workshops, pitching and showcasing opportunities and investment days.

The Campus also offers a variety of conference and meeting rooms tailored to cater for your every requirement, no matter how special. Whether you’re looking to hold a board meeting, interview or training session, or searching for a contemporary venue to hold your next corporate exhibition, the multi-million pound Campus includes all the physical assets needed to launch and run your event successfully.

A dynamic venue and vibrant atmosphere, modern meeting spaces accommodate between two and 20 people, which are complemented by flexible conference and event facilities ideal for between 20 and 500 delegates.

Based just a 15-minute walk from New Street Station or nine-minute walk from the Colmore Business District, the Campus is ideally located for your Birmingham meeting, exhibition or conference. With a dynamic atmosphere and well-connected location, it is perfectly equipped to fulfil the commercial needs of any tech or digital business, from entrepreneurs and start-ups, to SMEs and scale-ups.

Situated just off the A38, with fantastic city centre transport links, the Innovation Birmingham Campus thrives right in the heart of Birmingham’s Knowledge Quarter.

W: www.innovationbham.com

33

JLL If you are looking to invest in the Midlands, JLL is the marketleading investment group advising clients on a full range of real estate investment products including offices, industrial, retail, alternatives, hotels and residential.

We advise every type of real estate owner and investor from private individuals to the largest institutions. As a result of our global network we have strong links with international investors and are highly successful in developing buy and sell side-relationships with clients seeking to invest in the region.

We combine financial expertise with unparalleled property knowledge to help you creatively shape your real estate strategy and give your property decisions the edge.

We have acted on some of the largest most prestigious schemes in the region including the £140m acquisition of The Colmore Building for Ashby Capital, Birmingham Business Park for Canmoor/Blackrock and the letting/forward funding of the new 525,000 sq ft Dunelm distribution unit in Stoke-on-Trent for Wittington/Prologis.

For occupiers, a successful real estate strategy goes beyond finding space. It also improves your productivity and enhances performance. When you’re equally strategic about your space and your business, you can: • Reduce your costs • Uncover opportunities • Attract the best talent • Easily adapt to changes in legislations • Mitigate risk • Gain sharper insights from data Working in partnership with you, we will ensure your property strategy supports your business’ objectives. We have recently acted on behalf of Advanced Computer Software on a pre-let of 45,000 sq ft at The Mailbox and for Pinsent Masons on over 40,000 sq ft at 55 Colmore Row. W: www.jll.com

34

KIER GROUP Excellence in all aspects of construction is at the very heart of Kier.

We meet the most demanding quality and efficiency standards over and over again. As a provider of a comprehensive building and civil engineering service, we work with private and public sector clients across the UK and internationally.

We have the flexibility and expertise to build anything, anywhere – from a £250k extension to a strategic asset costing hundreds of millions of pounds – making full use of our capabilities to benefit as many people and organisations as possible, and maximise the return for our clients and partners.

We operate across a range of sectors including: defence; education; housing; industrial; power,; transport and utilities.

Our regional presence across the UK enables us to deliver all types of projects. We believe in localism and typically draw on local talent and suppliers to help us complete our schemes. This approach ensures that your local community benefits from your activity. We work hard to be a responsible corporation and strive to minimise environmental impacts on every job we do. Every project is an opportunity for us to offer training and work experience to the next generation of designers, engineers, builders and technicians.

W: www.kier.co.uk/

35

RIDER LEVETT BUCKNALL Are you looking to make an investment in the UK property industry? Whether property is your core business or a non-core business asset, you may be making an investment in an industry that is not in your home territory. You need to understand the key challenges of the UK property and construction industry and develop an effective strategy to navigate through them.

HOW MIGHT THESE ISSUES IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS? Whether or not you are experienced in property, you may not be familiar with the UK property industry. From statutory compliance to the regulatory regime that governs development, you will need a trusted advisor that understands what is needed to deliver your project and will take the time to understand your business and the way you have delivered your projects in the past.

When you invest, you need to be confident that your plans can be delivered and that best value is achieved. Our comprehensive track record delivering projects across multiple sectors means that we are well placed to make this happen for you.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU WITH THESE ISSUES? Rider Levett Bucknall is an award-winning, independent practice with 450 staff in the UK and over 3,600 worldwide. This means that we have a truly global reach and can offer a local presence to our clients almost without exception. We are committed to our core services of quantity surveying, project management, building surveying and specialist advisory and pride ourselves on our dedication to customer care and leading edge service provision. Clients can rely on us for our deep understanding of the global business drivers in the context of the UK property market.

W: www.rlb.com

36

SKANSKA Skanska, a leading construction company and developer, is an inclusive and responsible business that is helping to build for a better society.

Known for major projects like the Gherkin, Crossrail and the Northern Hub, we are creating, upgrading and maintaining the country’s buildings and infrastructure, working with private and public-sector organisations around the UK. Drawing on our Scandinavian heritage, we are green, innovative and progressive. We bring together people and technology, helping to make our industry safer and more collaborative.

And, as a truly values-driven business, committed to our customers, employees and the societies where we work, we always want to build for a better society.

W: www.skanska.co.uk

WHAT WE DO Investment

Construction

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Public-private partnerships

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Ceilings and partitions

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Public-private partnership projects

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Civic buildings

Development

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Commercial offices

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Development partnerships

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Custodial

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Property development

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Defence

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Maintenance

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Education

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Facilities management

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Energy

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Highways maintenance

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Healthcare

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Rail maintenance

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Highways

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Street lighting maintenance

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Mechanical and electrical fit out

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Mixed use and residential

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Pharmaceutical and research facilities

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Piling and foundations

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Public spaces

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Rail

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Tunnelling

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Water

37

WILLMOTT DIXON INTERIORS Whatever your interior fit out or refurbishment project, Willmott Dixon Interiors has the expertise, experience and resource to fulfil every kind of project nationwide – up to £30 million in the Commercial, Hospitality, Education & Health sectors.

As the specialist interior fit-out and refurbishment arm of the Willmott Dixon Group, the second largest privately-owned construction and property development company in the UK, our strong family values, commitment to sustainable development and unique experience makes us the first choice for customers and consultant teams throughout the UK. Our approach is very simple. We put our customer and partner relationships at the heart of our business. The long term relationships we build with customers and partners are testimony to our professional and inventive approach to every fit-out or interior refurbishment project.

You can choose Willmott Dixon Interiors with complete confidence. We always deliver on our promises, and we always put your needs first. Whether taking the lead on a fit-out or interior refurbishment project or acting as a guide, we are unstinting in our pursuit of excellence.

Our investment in sector-specific expertise gives you access to experienced people with a deep understanding of your sector. Whatever the project, be it private or public, large or small, our professional processes unlock the advantages of local delivery on a national scale.

We also recognise the importance of smaller projects; with a dedicated specialist team concentrating solely on projects below £2million for new and existing customers.

It’s reassuring to know that behind every project undertaken by Willmott Dixon Interiors are highly experienced individuals, handpicked for their track records and can-do approach Willmott Dixon Interiors 1st Floor 2 Snowhill Birmingham B4 6GA W: www.willmottdixoninteriors.co.uk

BUSINESS, PROFESSIONAL & FINANCIAL SERVICES

39

ADVANCED Business transformation Advanced has undergone one of the largest transformations of any UK business today, and our regional HQ in Birmingham is a vital part of this. As the third largest provider of software and services to the UK market, our enterprise and market-focused solutions positively impact millions of people’s lives. Employing over 2,000 people and supporting 20,000 customers, we are well positioned for continued growth and success.

Our modern office in The Mailbox demonstrates our commitment to attracting and fostering new talent, and forging exciting business partnerships in key areas of the country.

Working together True partnership is the defining aspect that sets us apart - we don’t sell theory but work closely with our customers to deliver focused software solutions providing immediate value. We are uniquely placed in Birmingham to offer local support and networking with the vibrant, connected business community here, underpinned by a culture of innovation and growth.

Every member of our team cares about the little things that collectively make a huge difference to the success of our customers and their end customers. We deliver market-leading, right-first-time software solutions for public sector, enterprise, commercial and health & care organisations that simplify complex business challenges, and evolve with the changing needs of the markets. We can help you unleash the full potential of your business with modern, integrated architectures, infrastructures and managed services. Our Cloud-based solutions mean you can drive efficiencies, savings and growth.

Reimagining your business When you reimagine how things are done and think digitally you increase productivity and improve performance by unlocking the potential of employees. Birmingham already has one of the UK’s strongest performing digital economies and we are excited to be part of this digital transformation, helping organisations working in new environments advance their competitive position by using disruptive technology to become more agile and responsive.

W: www.oneadvanced.com

40

ANTHONY COLLINS SOLICITORS LLP Anthony Collins Solicitors is a specialist Birmingham-based law firm with a clear purpose – to “improve lives, communities and society".

For over 40 years, it has successfully combining market-leading legal expertise with a commitment to excellence and long-term relationships underpinned by a strong set of values. We have grown to 30 Partners and 280 staff helping to influence national policy in key areas such as housing, procurement and social care. Our efforts were recognised by the Birmingham Law Society where we were selected 'Firm of the Year - 16+ Partners'​, 'Business Team of the Year'​ and 'Private Client Team of the Year'​ for 2018.

In addition to awards, we have been recognised nationally for delivering pragmatic advice to the following sectors: Ranked ‘Tier 1’ by Legal 500 in 2018 as a top national law firm for our work with Charities and Not for Profit organisations along with our Family Law and Personal Injury/Clinical Negligence work; The only Midlands-based law firm ranked ‘Tier 1’ by 2018 by Legal 500 for our Social Housing work; We also have deep expertise across other sector areas including Local and Regional Government; Health and Social Care; Education and Social Business organisations including cooperatives and mutuals.

Our sector focus covers a broad range of legal areas including:

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Company formation including innovative structures and joint ventures;

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Procurement and State Aid including delivering Social Value in commissioning and contracts;

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Governance and compliance policiies adhering with relevant laws, governing bodies and regulators;

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Complex finance and funding advice;

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Litigation, dispute resolution and mediation;

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Employment and pensions advice including TUPE, gender pay reporting, National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage issues;

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Freedom of information and data protection advice including intellectual property and IT issues;

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Property development, construction, regeneration and commercial property;

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Judicial Reviews;

Personal estate and asset planning and management (e.g. wills and trusts, marriage and relationship dissolution).

We’re proud of our work with clients such as Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Midlands Growth Company and Midland Heart (Housing Association) along with supporting the region through our staff volunteer programme by committing time and resources to a variety of organisations.

W: www.anthonycollins.com

41

ARUP ARUP is a global firm of designers, planners and engineering consultants specialising in all aspects of the built environment.

With 850 people in Midlands, we have 50 years of regional understanding and know-how. We specialise in the built environment across multiple markets including energy, water, highways, rail, commercial property, healthcare, education, science and industry.

By working with local, national and international clients, collaborators and investors, we bring the value of our global capability and apply to local context. We actively listen to our clients to understand their needs and combine the best of our multi-disciplinary capabilities to meet their needs. From strategic advice and planning through to design, managing delivery and operation – we engage in the full lifecycle.

Shaping Birmingham and wider Midlands region – our experience includes regeneration of Brindleyplace, redevelopment of Bullring shopping complex, creation of sustainable campus for Birmingham City University and design of M6 Toll Road. We are an integral part of the design team for Paradise Circus and Snow Hill redevelopments.

Optimising Assets and Creating Value – our collaboration with Birmingham City Council shaped the award-winning Eastside City Park, first major Birmingham park for 130 years. Working alongside large UK asset owners Highways England and National Grid, we actively support and inform their strategic direction. Our advice to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and University of Birmingham helps underpin their emerging estates transformation.

World Class Technology and Innovation – from fire strategy design at Birmingham’s Grand Central station to programme managers for UK Autodrive autonomous vehicle programme where we bring technical and management insight to innovative sustainable forms of transport.

Future Proofing Transport – we are UK’s leading engineering, environmental and transport planning consultants in high speed rail supporting High Speed Two since 2009.

Developing Places of the Future – we support UKC Growth Company via our urban strategy, planning, infrastructure economics skills which underpin a regional master plan which supports the establishment of 77,500 jobs and helps contribute up to £4.1bn GVA. W: www.arup.com

copyright Craig Holmes

copyright Arup

copyright CityScape

42

DLA PIPER UK LLP DLA Piper is a world-leading global business law firm located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. We are positioned to help companies with their legal needs anywhere in the world.

Whilst our reach is global, our focus is local.

With an office located in Birmingham city centre, and 80+ offices worldwide, we are perfectly positioned to advise you on your investment in the Midlands region and anywhere else in the world.

Our services are delivered by leading local specialists with sector focused knowledge who act for many of the Midlands’ top businesses, as well as serving the needs of national and international clients.

We are committed to building trusted mutually beneficial relationships with our clients; we listen to their needs, anticipate problems and provide pragmatic solutions; and most importantly deliver consistent quality across each of our jurisdictions through straight forward, approachable partner-led relationships.

Each of DLA Piper’s global offices provides advice on key business areas including: corporate; employment; finance and projects; intellectual property and technology; litigation; pensions; planning; real estate; regulatory; restructuring and tax. Our full service offering allows us to support you through one globally integrated relationship.

DLA Piper is highly regarded within the Midlands region, having received a number of tier one rankings in its key disciplines by Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 legal directories. DLA Piper ‘leads the way in terms of its cross-border capability’ mentions Legal 500 and, amongst many other accolades, the office is continuously regarded as a ‘regional heavyweight’.

RECENT PROJECTS •

Advised Synergy Health on its US$5.2 billion merger with Steris Corporation

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Acted for PwC as administrators of the Caparo Industries Group, the trading of the business in administration and the eventual sales of the businesses and assets by TDR Capital.

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Advised Tattershall Castle Group on the disposal of its business and assets to Stonegate Pub Company backed

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Advised Intertek on the multi-jurisdictional acquisition of Moody International Group from Investcorp

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Advised Dignity on its acquisition of 36 locations from Laurel Funerals and its conditional acquisition of five crematoria from Funeral Services Ltd (trading as Co-op Funeralcare)

W: www.dlapiper.com

43

EBS LIMITED EBS is a one stop shop for the companies setting up in the United Kingdom. We specialise in providing a complete service from company establishment to a physical or virtual location, back office administration and finance services in the UK market.

EBS has helped to establish subsidiaries of many types of businesses in the UK, from small family owned companies to members of publicly quoted groups. The issues that these businesses face when setting up in a new market are very similar, and yet they are all different. At EBS we treat each client as an individual case, each with their individual needs and individual solutions.

EBS are accepted as trusted advisers by many organisations, such as Department for International Trade, the UK Advisory Network, University of Warwick Science Park and Santander Trade Network, and has access to a network of complementary suppliers to provide a seamless customer journey.

Our experience in assisting businesses entering the UK market, free consultancy, short term service agreements and ability to speak foreign languages, makes EBS team more responsive to the clients’ needs.

Services provided We offer UK Market Entry Support services allowing the companies to enter the UK market in an efficient and cost-effective way. Our competitive offer, free consultancy, short term service agreements and ability to speak foreign languages, makes EBS team more responsive to the clients’ needs.

We can help with: •

Company Establishment

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Registered Office and Legal Compliance

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Virtual Office Services

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Accounting and Payroll

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Advisory services

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Brokerage services

W: www.ebs.ltd.uk

44

EVERSHEDS SUTHERLAND With the founding roots of our global business reaching back to Birmingham 100 years ago, our world class city has a world-class team that has made its name through strategic developments in the city, including the £1billion+ Bullring shopping centre, Mailbox and recent developments such as New Street Station/Grand Central and the mammoth £500 million redevelopment project at Paradise Circus.

Our full service legal team advised on the £307m acquisition of the NEC Group and we were the legal team behind the relocation of HSBC’s UK ring-fenced bank to Birmingham. The infamous Trojan Horse Inquiry was held in our Birmingham offices and led by our lawyers.

We were voted the Birmingham Law Society Large Law Firm of the Year in both 2013 and 2015.

We are also the lead sponsor of the Midlands Engine International Conference.

Globally we support businesses wherever they trade through our global network of offices. We support some of the region’s biggest businesses to help them achieve their business aims, whether it relates to global M&A work or international contracts. We also act on inward investment into the region and work, with the West Midlands Growth Company, to identify and showcase the region’s investment opportunities and its credentials as a place to live and work.

With the country’s leading lawyers, working in all disciplines, our advice is valued by our clients and helping to transform the region. We are proud of our Birmingham roots, international reputation and being the leading law firm in Birmingham.

W: www.eversheds-sutherland.com

45

FREETHS Freeths is an award-winning firm and one of the UK’s leading full service law practices. We are business people first and lawyers second, committed to a varied client base including national and international household businesses.

As well as achieving another consecutive year of growth – with this year’s turnover increasing to £72 million – Freeths is rated in the top 50 in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For. Our dynamic team of lawyers are commercially minded, providing creative solutions and clear, comprehensible advice for our growing range of clients. With 11 offices across the UK, our Birmingham office is now our third largest by turnover. Using our combination of experience and fresh insight, we are committed to delivering the high quality results our clients want.

We have been recognised by Experian as being one of the most active law firms in the UK for corporate deal completions. Last year, in Experian’s national rankings of corporate deal activity in the Midlands, our Birmingham office achieved second position with 41 deals completed in 2016.

We offer a refreshing approach of tackling problems from a commercial perspective, resulting in success for both our business and our clients.

W: www.freeths.co.uk/home

46

GOWLING WLG Gowling WLG is an international law firm with more than 1,400 legal professionals in 18 cities across the UK, Canada, Continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Gowling WLG represents a natural evolution for its founding firms – Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co and Canadian firm Gowlings – who, throughout their histories, have continually adapted to better serve their clients' needs.

Combining first-class legal skills with creativity and ingenuity, our lawyers understand the commercial issues, challenges and opportunities that clients face and are able to provide tailored, practical advice. Our clients are provided with top-tier legal guidance at home and abroad in a range of areas – from complex cross-border transactions and intellectual property matters to high-stakes litigation and disputes.

Clients have direct access to in-depth expertise and experience in key global sectors including manufacturing, energy, financial services, infrastructure, life sciences, natural resources, real estate and tech. We pair this specific industry knowledge with renowned service area expertise to meet each client's unique requirements.

We see the world through our clients’ eyes, and collaborate across countries, offices, service areas and sectors to help them succeed, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Our culture is, above all, about people and teams, based on our belief in the power of relationships in delivering tangible business results.

Our long history in the region means we are well placed to assist our clients in making the most of a thriving and evolving local economy. Our Two Snowhill Birmingham office has a nationwide and international reputation and is home to over 400 of Gowling WLG's leading UK lawyers.

A base in the City and close link with our international offices means clients get the first class advice they need on UK and global matters of any nature. Making a real connection with our people and clients, we use commercial and innovative thinking in Birmingham to provide the legal solutions our clients need to prosper, wherever they are in the world.

W: www.gowlingwlg.com

47

THE JMB PARTNERSHIP Increasing and sustaining sales is vital for the growth and development of any organisation.

The JMB Partnership is an award-winning B2B sales and marketing agency specialising in lead generation and new market entry services.

Winners of the Queen’s Award for International Trade – one of the UK’s highest accolades for British business success – JMB is accredited by government and trade organisations worldwide for our work in the international trade arena.

The JMB Partnership offers its clients a wealth of cross-sector experience: including a management team with over 90 years’ combined experience working with some of the world’s largest enterprise organisations, such as: •

Jaguar Land Rover

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Lloyds Banking Group

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BMW

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Government organisations

This first-hand experience means we understand the vital components required to secure and capitalise on international opportunities – and to date we have successfully supported over 750 UK and international companies to achieve preciously these objectives.

Recognising there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to market expansion, JMB provides a range of strategic solutions tailored to our individual clients’ needs and objectives, ranging from: business planning & financial modelling; market research; sales consultancy; lead generation & meetings programmes; partner & distributor finding and UK representational services.

Whether looking to explore new markets, bolster your existing client base or identify international partners, JMB provides a flexible approach to enable you to achieve your business growth objectives.

W: www.JMBPartnership.com

48

KPMG One Snow Hill is the largest of the UK firm’s offices outside London and home to 40 partners and over 1,300 staff. Our clients cover a wide spectrum of business and individuals, ranging from multinational household names to the latest start-ups.

The breadth and depth of our client portfolio has enabled us to develop deep industry experience in a broad range of sectors that spans; aerospace & defence; automotive; retail & consumer goods; building & construction; travel leisure & tourism; healthcare; public sector; financial services; engineering & industrial products; and power & utilities.

Our sector professionals in Birmingham work closely with our member firms’ global practices to enable KPMG client service teams to provide the best possible insights both locally and globally.

We offer a wide range of audit, tax and advisory services; our breadth and depth of sector and regional knowledge enables us to advise our clients on growth, improving performance and managing risks.

W: www.kpmg.co.uk

49

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP Lloyds Banking Group is the UK’s largest Financial Services group. Our vision is simple: to be the best bank for customers. We have been voted Business Bank of the Year at the FDs’ Excellence Awards for fourteen years and through our portfolio of iconic brands we play a vital role in supporting the people, businesses and communities we service and in creating a thriving UK economy.

Our business is focused on retail and commercial financial services and in 2017 we supported more than 124,000 startup businesses and 27 million customers. Founded in Birmingham in 1765, we’re proud of our roots in the UK’s manufacturing heartland and are committed to supporting its future success. Our aim is to support our clients with a combination of a local coverage team, sector specialists and product experts, where we strive to add true value and become a long-term strategic partner. We have relationship teams across the West Midlands who together with the support of product and sector specialists will take the time to understand your business and provide support specific to your business needs.

With over 250 years of experience, we have a strong reputation locally in the Midlands and an excellent track record of working together with local clients. By offering a full range of services from risk management and international trade to funding and daily banking, we’ll work with you to provide the right mix of products and guidance to help your business prosper. Our expertise includes: •

Financing

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Risk management

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Cash Management

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Deposit products

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International trade

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Card solutions

W: www.lloydsbankinggroup.com

50

PwC PwC is a network of member firms, bringing more than 263,000 people together to share knowledge, skills and resources around the world. This enables us to provide top quality services to our Midlands clients.

We have a broad and well-diversified business with clients spanning a range of industries and sectors. Our core services are Assurance, Consulting, Deals and Tax. We tailor our services to specific client needs and we offer an integrated approach.

By recognising that value means different things to different people – we build relationships. Getting to know people means we are able to understand their goals and ambitions and the things that they value. Then, we work together to help them create the value they’re looking for.

We are proud as a firm to have this collective sense of purpose, by delivering the PwC experience through everything we do; we will remain true to our vision of being a powerhouse of a commercial enterprise that does the right thing for our clients, our people and our communities.

We are committed to the Midlands and bringing 2,300 jobs to the region by 2020. Recruiting local talent including school leavers, young apprentices and graduates.

At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. It is this focus which informs the services we provide and the decisions we make.

In the Midlands, businesses of all sizes are at the heart of what we do and we are excited by the diverse sectoral strengths of the region.

As part of our regional strategy, we are investing in a new home for our Birmingham business at One Chamberlain Square as part of the city’s £700 million Paradise development.

W: www.pwc.co.uk

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SMITH COOPER Entering a new market can be daunting and finding the right business advisers to help in the inward investment process can be difficult. We always start by thoroughly understanding your objectives and business issues so that we can work with you to create innovative, specifically tailored opportunities and to guide you through the process.

Smith Cooper is one of the Midlands’ leading independent firms of business advisers and accountants. We have been helping businesses with business advice, tax planning and inward investment for 30 years.

We are able to offer everything you need to successfully manage your business. Whether it is from advising on business structure, payroll, HR or any other business advice, we can respond to our clients’ needs in an intelligent, efficient and cost effective manner.

Our team is made up of individuals with professional backgrounds ranging from accountancy, corporate finance and tax to banking, business recovery and insolvency, so there is rarely a situation outside of our knowledge. Our team focus on relationship building and service delivery and can help you tackle the complexities of modern business, wherever you are in your business lifecycle, offering you solutions and services tailored to your exact requirements.

We can help with: •

Tax compliance & bespoke advisory

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Investment target search

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Funding support

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Restructuring

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Business strategy

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HR services including payroll

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Corporate finance

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Accounting, auditing and compliance

Through our network of contacts we are able to offer our clients the strength of a global network with the personal approach of a local partner who really understands the Birmingham market.

W: www.smithcooper.co.uk

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WATERMAN GROUP Waterman Group is a leading multidisciplinary engineering and environmental consultancy providing structural, building services, infrastructure, environmental and specialist secondment services to clients across both public and private sectors.

Waterman has had a presence in Birmingham for over 30 years and we are proud to be a trusted name throughout the Midlands for delivering exceptional designs and quality of service.

Our team has built a strong portfolio of high-profile projects across the region. These include: Bullring Birmingham, Heartlands Academy; Grand Central Birmingham; Touchwood Solihull; MIRA including Aston Martin; Telford Shopping Centre; West Midlands Highways Alliance; Elliott’s Field Retail Park and the Manufacturing Technology Centre at Ansty Park. One of our most recent projects is the Temple Court office development for Legal & General.

We have established long-standing relationships with many of our public sector clients through appointments on a variety of frameworks, including professional services support to the Midlands Highway Alliance and the West Midlands Combined Authority. The former has been shortlisted in the Collaboration Awards category for CIIHT for our work on the Midlands Highways Alliance Professional Services Partnership. This is further to being a NCE Top 100 Ranked Company 2017.

We are also proud to be working on the Engineering Skills Training Centre on the MIRA Enterprise Zone, a programme which is set to provide 2,500 places annually to address skill shortages. We are Chair for 2017 of the West Midlands Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation with a drive to develop members and encourage new talent into the profession. We are also an active member of ACE Midlands (East and West) encouraging and promoting digital innovation in consultancy.

W: www.watermangroup.com

PROFILE

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TRINITRY MIRROR MIDLANDS LTD Trinity Mirror Midlands is one of the largest and most well-established multi-media publishers in the Midlands. With a portfolio incorporating daily and weekly newspapers, an ever-increasing range of websites, e-editions and apps, plus some of the largest community and business events in the region, we provide both readers and advertisers with cost effective products and solutions however they access information.

MULTI-MEDIA PUBLISHER Our media options are as varied as our audience! We produce the leading daily titles in Birmingham and Coventry, the Birmingham Mail and the Coventry Telegraph, the Birmingham business title Birmingham Post, weekly papers such as the Loughborough Echo and Solihull News, alongside sector-specific websites such as fish4jobs.co.uk. We also produce fully interactive companion sites to our newspapers, including birminghammail.co.uk, coventrytelegraph.net and birminghampost.co.uk. Packed with up-to-the-minute news, sport, blogs and what’s-on listings, they are an invaluable addition to our portfolio, opening our media and your advertising to online audiences. In addition to our print and digital titles, we produce events such as the Pride of Birmingham Awards and Birmingham Post Business Awards.

LARGE AUDIENCE Trinity Mirror Midlands can guarantee extensive reach and coverage across the Midlands. Our print products alone reach over 700,000 people every week whilst use of our digital portfolio has seen massive growth in the last 12 months. Proof of our website’s popularity can be seen by the 4.1 million unique users that visit every month.

MEDIA EXPERTISE With separate divisions dedicated to Greater Birmingham, Coventry & Warwickshire and Loughborough, Trinity Mirror Midlands provides the unique combination of positioning within the heart of local communities plus the sales and editorial expertise of a global media corporation.

W: www.trinitymirror.com

EMPLOYEE INCENTIVES & TRANSPORT

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BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT For the last two years, Birmingham Airport has been awarded the world’s most punctual airport of its size, satisfying the air travel needs of 13 million passengers annually.

Currently, it serves 150 direct global destinations plus a further 340 one-stop worldwide flights with 50 airlines, including double daily operations with the impressive Airbus A380 aircraft. It is one of the West Midlands’ largest employers, creating jobs for 7000 people and adding £1.4bn in GVA to the regional economy.

In recent years, it has had unprecedented passenger growth, particularly in long-haul traffic, as passengers realise the ease of getting to and through the airport. This has led the Airport to invest heavily in its infrastructure to improve the facilities on site for an enhanced customer experience.

It is the largest airport in the Midlands and the third largest airport outside of London, with 35 million people residing within its two-hour catchment.

Sitting in the centre of the country’s road and rail network means that it is one of the most accessible airports, particularly by rail, thanks to its on-site rail station, with trains every few minutes to Birmingham city centre and several hourly to London, just an hour away.

In 2026, this will reduce to around 30 minutes as Birmingham becomes the UK’s first and only highspeed connected airport, increasing the two-hour catchment to 45m people.

W: www.birminghamairport.co.uk

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STAYING COOL AT THE ROTUNDA Our stylish, serviced apartments are the perfect place to stay in Birmingham. Ideally situated at the top of the Rotunda, handy for New Street station, the business district and the Bullring shopping centre, the best of Birmingham is right on your doorstep.

They are rated 4* and 5* and all have a fully equipped kitchen, free Wi-Fi, Sky TV and the best views in the city. We have been rated number one on TripAdvisor throughout 2016 (and year to date) so you know you will be well looked after.

Staying Cool is pleased to offer Business Birmingham’s investors reduced rates for short visits to Birmingham, or longer stays while setting up in the city:

INWARD INVESTOR RATES INCLUDE: •

Super fast, free fibre optic broadband for all of your devices

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SkyTV and a Blu-ray DVD player

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BOSE speaker dock

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A top of the range espresso machine with Illy coffee and local milk

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Oranges for the juicer and complimentary Rude Health breakfast cereals

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Breakfast tea, green tea and hot chocolate

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A leave-and-retrieve service (leave any items you like from week to week and we will safely store them for you)

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Complimentary gym membership at The Gym just 100 metres away

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Secure underground parking at The Bullring for just £10.50 per night

EVENTS/MEETINGS Our penthouses, with their open balconies, have the WOW factor in spades (perfect for entertaining clients) and also offer a great space for events. Rates available on request.

W: www.stayingcool.com/birmingham

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TRANSPORT FOR WEST MIDLANDS Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) – part of the West Midlands Combined Authority – is responsible for delivery of public transport and promotion of sustainable travel in the West Midlands, working in partnership with the region’s seven metropolitan councils. This ensures that everyone in the West Midlands benefits from an effective transport system that meets the economic and environmental needs of the region, as well as providing access to jobs, finding innovative ways to help reduce congestion and offering seamless connections for people and goods to home and overseas markets.

TfWM’s business and employers’ team provides a free, bespoke travel planning service to companies across the region. It helps employees save money on their journey to work and helps businesses to meet environmental and staff retention objectives and address any car parking issues at their premises. The team provides a personal travel consultation service to businesses relocating to the region to ensure that staff have the most up-to-date information and incentives they need to travel to work as easily as possible, while reducing their carbon footprint.

More than 140 businesses across the West Midlands are being supported and over 90,000 employees have been helped including a number of high-profile organisations relocating their premises to Birmingham and Solihull. These include Resorts World Birmingham at the NEC, John Lewis at Grand Central and Jacobs in Birmingham city centre.

W: www.tfwm.org.uk

TALK TO US Find out more about how the Inward Investor Commercial Support Programme can speed up the process of setting up your business.

+44 (0) 121 202 5022 invest@businessbirmingham.com @business_bham Business Birmingham