A Guide to Business in Birmingham A Guide to Business in Birmingham | Página 8

A guide to business in Birmingham

Food and drink
Birmingham has a vast food and drink manufacturing sector, providing
59,000 jobs and £14bn of income (2). The area has particular expertise
in confectionery, drinks and food technology and is home to large
firms like Muller Dairies, Kraft/Cadbury and Coors.
The region is also home to a range of specialist F&D networks, including Heart of England Fine
Foods (HEFF) and the Regional Food Academy.
The University of Birmingham and Birmingham College of Food have particular expertise in
food, providing a wealth of research and expertise. The University College Birmingham often works
in conjunction with local food businesses, giving students the chance of work placements or helping
to develop new food products and recipes. The college’s Food Innovation Facility is regularly used
by small/medium businesses for product and recipe development, taking advantage of a full range
kitchen with commercial scale equipment (14).

Professional
Birmingham has the second largest number of business and financial
services graduates outside of London, with the industry generating
£23bn of revenue for the region (2).
The city has particular skills in accountancy investments, retail and specialist banking services and finance,
with firms like Deutsche Bank, KPMG, E&Y and PwC. The area is also a thriving hub for insurance and
legal services, employing over 10,000 insurance professionals. The most popular region for professional
services firms is a cluster around Birmingham’s city centre and on its western edge, including Colmore
Business District, Brindleyplace and Edgbaston.
Birmingham is also an international hub for language skills, with the highest frequency of foreign
languages spoken of any cit y in the UK (1), creating a prime environment for global business.
This chart shows the proportion of employment in knowledge intensive industries for Birmingham,
compared to the West Midlands and the UK.

Source: birmingham.gov.uk/economy Local Economic Assessment

Commercial Property – Industrial Units, Office Space to Rent

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