The UK’s ‘second city’, Birmingham is frequently favoured by both native and international companies as the ideal location to establish a business. Fast becoming one of Europe’s most influential business hubs, x+why recently opened the doors to their newest venue - Foundry, in the very heart of this entrepreneurial and cultural hot pot.
The UK’s ‘second city’, Birmingham is frequently favoured by both native and international companies as the ideal location to establish a business. Fast becoming one of Europe’s most influential business hubs, x+why recently opened the doors to their newest venue - Foundry, in the very heart of this entrepreneurial and cultural hot pot.
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A Slicker City
It isn’t just the business side of the city that separates it from other destinations in the UK. Birmingham’s cosmopolitan, vibrant landscape is reflected in Mercer’s global Quality of Living Report - which ranks Birmingham in the world’s top 50, ahead of major global cities including Dubai, Hong Kong and Rome.
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There are many advantages that can be attributed to Birmingham as a business hub. Located at the centre of the UK, Birmingham is the best-connected location by air, road and rail for travel, both nationally and overseas, as it is within a four-hour drive for 90% of the population. The city will also be at the heart of the new HS2 network, which will bring people and goods to and from London within 38 minutes and improve connectivity to the northern regions.
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From transport to talent - Birmingham’s population is one of the UK’s most diverse. Its varied community comprises 190 nationalities, with more people speaking French, German, Polish, Russian, Urdu and Mandarin Chinese as a first language than any other regional core city. Major global companies have invested in the city because of its access to diverse language skills, which are increasingly vital for servicing globalised overseas markets.
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228,000 people in Birmingham are qualified to degree level or above – more than any other regional city. It is this diversity that has led to The West Midlands Combined Authority reporting the highest levels of employment in fintech, transport tech, med-tech, as well as its historical links to manufacturing and construction.
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Moving away from historical links to industry, Birmingham is establishing itself as a true modern business destination. Birmingham has a burgeoning Business, Professional and Financial Services (BPFS) sector, with over 4,300 financial and professional services companies. These alone employ over 50,000 people, making it the largest regional cluster outside of London. This spike in activity has been grown within the city, as Birmingham has more business students than any other regional city outside of London.
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Global firms are consequently attracting more and more young professionals to pursue their business, professional and financial services careers in Birmingham as opposed to London. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, more people are moving from the capital to the West Midlands than to any other UK regional area, with Birmingham attracting more people away from London than it is losing.
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Birmingham is the largest regional tech cluster in the UK, according to ONS, with over 65,000 people working in tech roles at over 12,450 businesses. The West Midlands region boasts a rich supply chain of technology companies, spanning key sectors such as fintech, cybersecurity and gaming, and has been referred to as ‘Silicon Spa’. A mix of global companies and start-ups are now based in the city, with more software developers, programmers and software architects than any other regional city in the UK and, according to Monster research, is the best place in the UK for digital jobs.
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The future for Birmingham as a city is very bright, and its standing on the world’s stage was recently highlighted by figures from the Department of International trade, who stated that the West Midlands is the leading regional location for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outside of London and the South East. This international standing holds the region in good stead for the future, especially with the expansions happening across the city.
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Better Business
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Our newest space is breathing fresh life into Birmingham’s Brindleyplace this spring. 6 Brindleyplace is being rebirthed as ‘Foundry’, with x+why taking three floors as part of our plans to expand outside of London, to meet the growing demand that expects more from the traditional office space.
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At x+why we understand the impact of delivering on the triple bottom line – creating positive change for people, planet and profit in tandem. Each of our sites is designed with its own unique heritage and character in mind, filled with locally-sourced furniture and art, and created from renewable and sustainable materials.
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x+why is one of only two B Corp certified flexible workspaces in the UK. The B Corp certification is the only qualification that measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance. We’re proud to say that being a B Corp certified business is the gold standard when it comes to companies walking the walk and not just talking the talk. We support our community by fostering a likeminded ecosystem and help all of our members to further their application process through our WhyB programme - which streamlines and simplifies the steps.
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We’ve curated a destination for business growth and personal development. Alongside a thriving community are amenities that the largest of corporates would envy – ranging from the latest tech-enabled events space, to a high spec gym. Find your next home amongst 20 communal meeting rooms and collaboration areas, your own bar space, wellness room and in-house Barista.
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Furnished with wellbeing in mind, we house bike parks, standing desks, member-wellness events, and even natural light and bird song. We have more than one plant per person in the spaces, which creates a positive and peaceful atmosphere where you can relax and breathe. All of our members also get free access to our partners at Betterspace – a science-based wellbeing platform which helps you to manage your mental and physical wellbeing at work. We also have facilities on hand to support new parents, with Mother & Baby quiet rooms for those who need a private space for nursing, or just meditation and prayer.
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We have membership options to suit companies and freelancers of any size. Members enjoy private offices, creative breakout areas, and outdoor space, as well as a shared cultural programme of events, access to meeting rooms, zoom booths, events space and more!
