Investment jumps 19 percent in Birmingham

Major property management firm JLL latest research rates Birmingham investment opportunities higher than many UK core cities. Data from JLL’s latest Global 300 cities research, puts Birmingham in the top 100, ranking 76 for Investment and 53 in the world for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

The success comes on the back of a stellar year in 2014, with Birmingham investment volumes overall up 19 per cent at £1.04 billion, higher than at the height of the property boom, with FDI accounting for at least £400m of last year’s total. Investment also more than doubled in the West Midlands outside Birmingham, growing from £798m to £1.66bn.

In terms of economic growth, Birmingham also ranked 123 in JLL’s top Global 300, higher than many of the UK’s core cities. Between 2012 and 2013 (last updated figures) Birmingham’s workplace based Gross Value Added grew by 6 per cent, more than double the UK rate.

A compelling case for any company looking for future growth in a city, Ben Kelly, JLL’s director of capital markets said: “The statistics speak for themselves. We have a significantly larger economy, gross domestic product and broader economic base than many of the UK’s other core cities outside London and the South-East.

“When the likes of Deutsche Bank and HSBC decide to relocate their headquarters to the city, we don’t have to persuade them Birmingham is on the up, we have a clear case for attracting them.