Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton is a thriving community with a population of nearly 260,000. This diverse area benefits from a large catchment of 1.73 million people located within a 30 minute drive time.

It has a diverse array of more than 8,400 businesses and 113,000 jobs and is one of the top ten growing economies in the UK, projected to grow 2-3% faster than the national average over the next decade.

Wolverhampton is considered one of the top four places in the UK to start a business and has the strongest survival rates in the region for new enterprises, with an impressive 43% surviving after five years.

Wolverhampton retains a solid high-value manufacturing and construction base with developing clusters in other key sectors including a strong culture, entertainment, sport, leisure and housing offer.

Key businesses include brewery, pub and hotel operator, Marston's; Moog - known for manufacturing major aircraft projects such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner, as well as mechanical systems used in the infamous Wimbledon centre court roof; and leading European online sports retailer, Wiggle. UTC Aerospace Systems is another large employer that is involved in the manufacture of jetliners made by Airbus and Boeing.

Wolverhampton is currently undergoing its biggest transformation in years, as plans to bring some £4.4 billion of public and private investment set to reconfigure the city centre.

The city centre will absorb £1 billion worth of investment for redevelopment. The £150m transport hub, Interchange, will bring together the railway station, the new bus station nearby and a Metro extension. Interchange is at the core of the city’s first 22-acre Commercial District worth £250m development. The landmark offices paving the way for future developments, is the £13 million i9 Office Complex set in the heart of Wolverhampton’s Interchange. The new development will provide up to 52,000 sq. ft. of office space and has potential for 5,600 sq. ft. of leisure space available for retails, cafes, restaurants and bars. The entire project is set to be completed by later this year and will create around 300 jobs.

In November 2017, Wolverhampton was ranked as
eighth-best improver in PWC’s Good Growth for Cities index

One of Britain’s best known concert venues, the Wolverhampton Civic Centre, will reopen after six years in 2021 following a £38 million refurbishment making it a multi-faceted venue, better equipped to stage concert, conferences and conventions. New multi-million pounds regeneration of Wolverhampton revealed sketches of how the development will look, with plans for most of the city centre's streets to be pedestrianised, open spaces and squares. The Westside Development set to open next year, is a £50 million leisure-led project based partly on the city centre’s former market. It has been designed to feature leisure opportunities, new parking, restaurants and bars, an Odeon cinema complex and apartments.

The biggest urban living development outside of London, Brewers Yard, the £210 million regeneration of ten acres of brownfield land will become 1,200 city houses and flats and 60,000 sq. ft. of shops and commercial space. Work kicks off next year, with the expected completion in 2025. Canalside Quarter, sitting on 32-acres of cleared industrial land around the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, will bring 1,000 more homes to the city centre. The University of Wolverhampton is currently expanding its campus and accommodation by renovating the Springfield Brewer. The new £100 million project will turn a 12-acre, listed former brewery site into a world-class Architecture, Construction and Building super-campus. This flagship development will sit in the centre of a £250 million investment plan to enhance students experience and elevate the region’s economy and appeal. The 85,000 sq. ft. campus is due to open later this year, and can accommodate 1,600 students.

Wolverhampton’s football stadium Molineux is set to expand and grow to accommodate the increasing demands for ticket sales. The stadium will see the capacity increase to 55,000 with plans to use it as a ‘year-round’ event venue, as a clear vision has been outlined for future development. One of Wolverhampton’s biggest industrial development successes, i54 is being extended by 60-acres, creating another 1,700 jobs and £300 million of investment. Work on the site extension began in 2019 and should be open for use in 2022. In addition to the 2,200 homes at Brewers Yard and Canalside, the city is looking to develop the mid-Victorian Royal Hospital into more residential spaces including 53 flats, and around 140 new homes. As the need for housing is growing in the city, Telecom House is being transformed from 84,876 sq. ft. of BT offices into 144 flats in the £14 million Churchside project and around 400 new homes are being built to create an “urban village” three miles south east of the city centre.