The Knight Frank guide to Birmingham for businesses

The capital of the Midlands, Birmingham's business districts combine modernity, heritage, and a vibrant culture, making it a magnet for thriving businesses. 

With its dynamic skyline, world-class transport links, a rich industrial history, and central location mean Birmingham is an ideal location for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The UK’s ‘Second City’ has several key business districts, including the Colmore Business District, Birmingham’s traditional core with its sleek prime commercial spaces and bustling innovation lead quarters such as Digbeth with media, TV and film businesses making their homes here.

Beyond it being an excellent place to establish your business for professional reasons, Birmingham's excellent retail, social and hospitality scenes mean its ideal for creating impressive employee and client experiences and providing a wealth of social and dining options.

Getting there

Birmingham’s central location makes it a prime location for businesses with regional, national, or international aspirations.

Flanked by the M42, M5, and M6 motorways Birmingham is easily accessible by car from all directions.

The city also benefits from having three mainline railway stations, all providing easy access to the UK’s key cities:

Birmingham New Street: The city’s largest and busiest station, offering direct services to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Oxford and beyond.

Birmingham Moor Street: Ideal for regional connections, with links to the West Midlands and Chiltern Railways services to Warwick, Leamington, Bicester London Marylebone.

Birmingham Snow Hill: Servicing commuter routes and direct trains to Solihull, Worcester, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The long-awaited HS2 line will connect London with the newly developed Birmingham Curzon Street, with a travel time by rail of under 49 minutes.

For international travel, meanwhile, Birmingham Airport is just 10 minutes from the city centre by train and offers direct flights to 127 destinations via 28 airlines, including Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Meet the neighbours

Birmingham’s city centre is regarded as a prime location for businesses across a variety of industries and sectors, offering a mix of modern office developments, historic properties, and flexible coworking spaces.

It’s home to the greatest concentration of private sector, office-based employment outside of Central London. This includes major legal and accounting firms, and more than 100,000 people working in the banking, finance and insurance sectors.

Within the City Centre, there are three main business districts: Colmore Business District, Westside and Southside/Digbeth.

Colmore Business District: The city’s commercial heart and the traditional core of the city, home to law firms, financial institutions, and professional services. This area exudes prestige, with its grand Victorian and Edwardian architecture alongside new modern office spaces.

Southside/Digbeth: Known as Birmingham’s creative quarter, a magnet for tech startups, media companies, and design agencies. The soon to open new BBC regional HQ and the new homes for BBC Studios editing concern, MasterChef and Silent Witness programs mean that with its industrial heritage and trendy vibe, the location attracts a vibrant dynamic workforce.

Westside/Brindleyplace: Canalside destinations Brindleyplace, Mailbox and Cube are ideal for businesses looking to balance professionalism with leisure and lifestyle amenities

Birmingham offers excellent networking opportunities to businesses all over the Midlands – and beyond – largely built on the back of the city being home to several world-class conference centres, including the ICC and NEC.

In the city, watch out for the regular networking and business development events held at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, the Business Network Birmingham, and Business Professional Services (BPS) Birmingham.

On your doorstep

Birmingham’s culinary and retail scenes is as you would expect from the UK’s second city, offering everything from Michelin-starred dining and street food offerings to independent boutiques. It allows for both varied social options, and impressive client experiences.

For high-end dining, the city boasts Opheem, Adam’s, The Wilderness and Simpsons, and the social media famous Asha’s and Pasture are all perfect for entertaining clients or celebrating team successes. Meanwhile, Digbeth and The Jewellery Quarter the vibrant Balti Triangle offer a mix of cuisine in a more relaxed setting with venues such as the Indian Brewery and Digbeth Dining club showcasing the city’s bold mix of ethnicities and influences.

Shopping enthusiasts will find no shortage of options, with The Mailbox, Bullring & Grand Central offering luxury, boutique and high-street brands, respectively. Independent gems can be found in the traditional core, Digbeth and in the Jewelry Quarter, such as bespoke jewelers and artisan boutiques, local artists and design houses all bring their own colour.

For after-work drinks or informal meetings, venues such as The Grand Hotels Madeleine Bar, The Ivy Temple Row, The Botanist, The Alchemist, The Colmore, Pure Bar or The Old Joint Stock, offer character and charm in equal measure. Those with a keen interest in wine will find expert help to find that purchase of interest from the people at both Loki and Connolly’s – two award-winning wine merchants and tasting houses.

Birmingham also has a strong coffee scene, with a wide range of chain and independent brewers and roasters based in the city. Whether you’re a Pret/Costa person, or an aficionado who likes a local gem, 200 degrees, Morridge, Facility Coffee, Urban Coffee have you covered. Try the Medicine Bakery or the Early Bird Bakery Birmingham for sweet baked treats. independent-birmingham.co.uk - will always point you in the right direction otherwise.

Places of interest

Birmingham isn’t strictly all work – it’s a fantastic city for workers looking for a wealth of options to explore, dine and play in.

Victoria Square sits at the heart of the city, a bustling square home to landmarks such as the ‘Council House’ and Indian sculptor Dhruva Mistry’s ‘Floozie in the Jacuzzi’ fountain.

The Jewellery Quarter is one of Birmingham’s most historic districts, and is home to more than 700 jewellers and creative businesses. Its cobbled streets and artisanal atmosphere offers a cultural adventure for busy professionals looking to make the most of their free time.

Birmingham has more canals than Venice, with its picturesque routes and canalside walks providing a scenic way for your team to spend their breaks, or a waterside route to work for those looking for an alternative to public transport.

With its rich cultural scene, green spaces like Cannon Hill Park, and dynamic business hubs, Birmingham is an excellently balanced city for both work and play.

Find your base in Birmingham

At Knight Frank, we know how important it is that you find office space that’s within budget and is conveniently located but that also makes you and your team happy. With our expertise and extensive knowledge of the Birmingham office space and commercial rental market, we’re perfectly placed to empower your search.

Take a look at our offices to rent in Birmingham or get in touch for help finding the perfect office space for your business.