Invest in Birmingham

By Gaynor Pengelly

Birmingham is a vibrant, international city that attracts visitors from around the globe.

A colossus of the Industrial Revolution, Birmingham continues to excite and innovate - leading the way in telecommunications, information technology services, engineering, manufacturing and distribution.

Inspired investment has shaped a vibrant city of elegant public squares, pedestrianised walkways, top-of the range leisure facilities and world-class business venues.

Birmingham is Britain's second largest city and is situated in the heart of England. Welcoming and dynamic, it is one of the UK's most popular cities attracting thousands of people each year to live, work and play.

Lifestyle in Birmingham

The Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hundreds of museums make Birmingham one of the culture capital's of Europe.

Its clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues can rival anywhere in the UK. Brindleyplace provides an array of cafes, bars and restaurants overlooking the picturesque canal side. The Arcadian Centre on Hurst Street is another chic location with both a Chinese and Irish Quarter. The Mailbox, Star City and Broad Street all add to the list of amusements offered up by a city that never sleeps.

With an annual turnover of £2.2bn Birmingham city centre is the UK's second largest retail operation, with the country's busiest shopping centre, the £800m Bullring.

Wander through the city and you will find a bewildering number of stylish boutiques nestling alongside major High Street names in a pedestrian centre with many undercover malls and the iconic Selfridges's building.

The Selfridges Building, Birmingham

Location

Travelling by road, rail or air to and from Birmingham is straightforward. The city is conveniently central to a broad network of motorways and railways.

Birmingham International Airport offers around 60 direct destinations worldwide, and it is one of Britain's fastest growing airports, handling more than 9.3 million passengers annually.

London is a 90-minute journey by train or approximately two hours' drive. Travelling around Birmingham is easy, with cheap and efficient bus, train, tram and taxi services.

Walking is also a good option, as the city centre is almost totally pedestrianised and is a safe and friendly place.

Birmingham Property

Recently voted one of the top five most desirable places in England to live, Birmingham is snapping at London's heels as the UK property city of the future.

Property prices have shown strong growth as the city's economy continues to expand. Data from Nationwide's house price index together with the opinion of experts from Channel 4's Location, Location, Location suggests this rise is down to the city's burgeoning buy-to-let market.

Birmingham is a city with an eye on the future. It is estimated that there is in excess of £13.2 billion worth of investment planned over the next 10 years, with over £10.5 billion worth of investment planned or underway in the city centre alone.

The canal network, a key driver in the industrial age, is again the vanguard of Birmingham's renaissance. Examples of this can be seen on a large scale at Brindleyplace. Here the canal is fronted with new offices, city living apartments as well as leisure and entertainment venues. On the opposite bank the International Convention Centre and National Indoor Arena are leading the drive to be the UK's best conference city.

Birmingham - Universities

Birmingham's three universities have a student population of over 63,000, and a further six universities can be found within an hour drive of its city centre.

A key importer of talent to the region, around 40% of Birmingham graduates make their career in the city.

With its emphasis on research, Birmingham provides world-class facilities. Aston Science Park is a high-spec destination for both new and established knowledge-based businesses. The University of Birmingham Research Park provides purpose-built accommodation to companies and projects seeking to work with the University in research, development, or training. Birmingham is also a leader in nanotechnology and photonics.

As such, the city is a recognized location for overseas investors, with nearly 300 overseas companies taking advantage of the city's entrepreneurial spirit.

The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Birmingham - Conference

Birmingham is Britain's number one exhibition, conference and event city. Each year the city plays host to festivals including international jazz, film and television, comedy and arts. While the NEC and NIA host many of the UK's key events and exhibitions including The Motor Show, Clothes Show Live, Crufts and the BBC Good Food Show.

Christmas is enchanting in Birmingham when the city centre bursts into life with the delights and colours of a Frankfurt German market.

Birmingham - Workforce

Birmingham is home to more than 31,000 companies from industries as diverse as motorcars and manufacturing, electronics and computing, breakthrough technology and financial and professional services.

Jaguar, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Goodyear Dunlop, PriceWaterhouseCooper, Deloitte & Touche and Eversheds are just a few of the globally recognised brands based in the city.

Birmingham and the West Midlands' region lay claim to a skilled and committed workforce of nearly 600,000 and more than 2.6 million people respectively.

The skills provided by the workforce meet the needs of a diverse number of businesses.

The automotive industry ranges from major manufacturing plants to a full range of component, systems, design and support companies. Precision engineering is another core strength in the city, with a significant skills base.

Birmingham's professional and financial services sector (second only to London) is the fastest growing sector in the City and region's economy.

Birmingham's economy has experienced buoyant growth over the past five years to become the UK's leading financial and professional services centre outside London.

Birmingham also has a significant number of public sector employers including regional and national headquarters.

Birmingham - A Digital City

Birmingham has immediate access to one of the most advanced telecommunication networks in the world.

In addition to a comprehensive fibre optic network, Birmingham is at the forefront of the roll out of WiFi service, with a continuous public service now available in the city centre.

Birmingham's telecommunications network is entirely digital. The City is Broadband enabled and other key network services such as MPLS, SDH and ATM Technology are widely available providing businesses with a complete package of state-of-the-art telecommunications services and applications from a number of alternative suppliers.

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Get in Touch

Contact our investment specialists to find out more about our current opportunities within Birmingham:

email: invest@dandara.com
telephone: +44 1442 838 120

Dandara Ltd, 26th Floor Alpha Tower
Suffolk Street, Queens way
Birmingham, B1 1TT

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