Set up in Wolverhampton
Located in the North-West of our region is the city of Wolverhampton, a place bursting with history, creativity and originality, and headquarters of the first government department to be based outside of London, housed in the city’s new i9 office development.
The city’s economy is rooted in its engineering heritage. It was a major centre for coal mining, steel production, and the manufacture of cars and motorcycles, making it a leading UK location for many business sectors, including the aerospace industry and modern business services.
Connectivity
Wolverhampton is part of the most connected region in the UK and a great city to keep connected professionally and personally.
By rail, London is 98 minutes away, with Manchester reachable in 70 minutes by direct train, while by car, you can reach over 90% of the UK’s population within a four-hour drive.
By air from Birmingham Airport, which is just 40 minutes away by train from Wolverhampton, you can fly to 400 international destinations.
Locally, a £150m private and public investment into a single integrated city centre transport hub, connecting trains, buses and trams is creating an attractive commercial gateway to the city.
Wolverhampton’s sector strengths
Wolverhampton’s strengths are in high-value manufacturing and construction, with developing clusters in other key sectors, proving an ideal location for thousands of successful businesses directly in the middle of the UK.
Locating in Wolverhampton puts you in the company of big names like Jaguar Land Rover, Marston’s, Moog, Collins Aerospace and Wiggle. Specifically, choosing to locate in the i54 strategic employment site north of the city centre would place you in the most successful enterprise zone in the UK, attracting high quality jobs and talent. If that wasn’t enough, Jaguar Land Rover’s £1bn investment in a new engine plant at the site is creating new local opportunities in the supply chain.
Proven by the UK government’s choice to locate its Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in the city, Wolverhampton is an excellent alternative to London and other UK cities for government department and company headquarters.
Skills and talent
Nothing matters more than attracting and retaining the right talent for your business. Wolverhampton’s deep and diverse talent pool and graduate pipeline are significant assets, growing each year. Fed by 18,800 students studying at the University of Wolverhampton, producing 5,500 graduates per year, with 55% graduate retention in the region, you’re more likely to find the right people to develop and expand your business in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands.
Quality of life in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton was recently ranked the second-best place in the UK to raise a family by the consumer experts at MoneySuperMarket. The city has experienced a tremendous transformation over recent years.
Enjoy a high-quality lifestyle for less
Overall, residents are 40% better off living in Wolverhampton when compared to London. With excellent schools, colleges and its university, a great choice of housing, and great connectivity, it’s earned a deserved reputation as one of the best-kept secrets in the UK as a high-value, yet still highly affordable, quality of life offer.
We’ve identified three essential quality of life elements where Wolverhampton and the West Midlands outperform other destinations in the UK, Europe, and the world, summarised simply as Live, Learn and Earn.
View our 40-page Quality of Life prospectus