Information for current, new and potential businesses within Wolverhampton.
We’re determined to keep Wolverhampton’s business community vibrant and resilient by working with our local businesses and their employees, those who are self-employed, and those looking to start a business.
Here you will find support and guidance if you want to:
- Grow your business
- Start a new business
- Recruit staff
- Find business property
- Get support with procurement processes and opportunities
- Develop new products and services
- Find networking opportunities
- and much more!
If you have a specific enquiry please use the contact form at the bottom of this page. For general information on support available please see the tabs below.
We are also seeking your views to develop the City of Wolverhampton Council’s future economic strategy. Please see the tab below to read the draft strategy and to make your comments and views known.
Award winning Business Support
City of Wolverhampton Council has just been awarded a prestigious ‘best in the region’ award for its support for the local small business community.
Wolverhampton was among 250 councils in England who entered the inaugural England-wide Local Government awards run by Britain’s biggest business representation group, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), and it emerged triumphant in the Future Ready regional category.
Local authorities from all across England responded to the call when FSB launched their inaugural Local Government awards, sponsored by Maybe*, which were aimed at celebrating and recognising those that had made the biggest impact on local SMEs during the Covid crisis and beyond. And Wolverhampton was named as the West Midlands regional champion winners with judges being impressed by the council’s work to help the local small business community by putting in place a series of measures aimed at helping small businesses to survive, revive and thrive after arguably the toughest two and half years of trading.
Richard Lawrence, Director of Regeneration, said:
"Our Relight Business Programme has supported around 200 sole traders, micro and small businesses. Following our work delivering the Covid grant support programme, we wanted to give local businesses the tools and knowledge to build resilience during the pandemic and grow as the economy opened back up. We did this by running a series of webinars, funded FSB and Chamber membership, carrying out financial and digital reviews as well as business diagnostics, and providing access to a grant to implement recommendations from the reviews. Supporting fantastic local businesses in our city is one of our key priorities as a council and we will continue to do this through projects like our Relight Business Programme."
FSB Development Manager for Staffordshire and the West Midlands, Karen Woolley said:
"It is really pleasing to see the City of Wolverhampton Council rewarded for its hard work and effort to help local SMEs through what has been a very challenging couple of years. Both the quality and quantity of entries from this region and beyond was incredibly high so Wolverhampton should feel very proud to be among the winners. We look forward to continuing to work with them - and all our other business-supporting councils - to ensure we have a vibrant and strong local SME community."
Workshops
The following workshops and webinars are run in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Investment Readiness: Workshop for Wolverhampton Businesses
Date: 31st January 2024, 10.00am – 1.00pm
Venue: SPEED, University of Wolverhampton Science Park, Technology Centre PA104 Glaisher Drive, Wolverhampton, WV10 9RU
These free interactive taster sessions will give an overview of the funding options available to businesses and help to demystify the world of funding your business, including:
- Debt finance & understanding interest rates
- Alternative Finance
- Grant funding – is it free?
- Crowdfunding – reward, social and equity
- Angel Investment & Venture Capital – when is it right for you?
- The importance of creating a Pitch Deck or a Business Plan
- Financial forecasting and why it’s the narrative you need
Further support will be delivered by the Access to Finance team through a combination of workshops, masterclasses and one-to-one mentoring by finance specialists, all of whom have years of experience in unlocking funding and helping firms grow.
Here you can find more information and register for the workshop.
Register for the workshop here
RENEWABLE ENERGY – What are the costs and what are the savings
Date: 6th February 2024, 3.30pm - 4.30pm
Venue: Online
Join this webinar to learn more about renewable energy options for small and medium-sized businesses.
We will discuss how solar PV work, how much they cost, and what kind of savings businesses in the West Midlands and Warwickshire can expect in terms of both carbon and money. We will also present information about grant funding opportunities for businesses based in West Midlands .
Unlocking Apprenticeship Opportunities
Date: 7th February 2024, 10.30am - 11.00am
Venue: Online
Ever thought about hiring an apprentice but never had the support or the know-how to start?
Thrive at Work is pleased to host this 30-minute session during National Apprenticeship Week, informing you on how to source, fund, and work with your apprentice to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.
The session will be led by David Tomalin from West Midlands Combined Authority and Sian Roberts from Black Country Chamber of Commerce, who will run this session. During this session, you will gain an understanding of:
- Navigating Apprenticeship Basics: Understand apprenticeships and how they work.
- Finding Support for Recruitment: Discovering resources and avenues for recruiting apprentices.
- Tailoring Apprenticeships to Your Needs: Understanding how apprenticeships can align with your organisation's requirements.
- How easy is it to hire an Apprentice: Sian Roberts from the Black Country Chamber of Commerce shares their experience
This session will include a 25 minute presentation and a 5 minute Q&A. Here you can find more information about the Thrive at Work Wellbeing Programme.
Case Studies
Over the past 12 months we have worked with hundreds of local companies providing direct support, advice information and guidance. Here are some of those that we have supported through a capital grant on the UKSPF Grant Programme.
Ludlow Tavern Springhill
Built in 1938 of wood, tile and wood cladding; and formerly a Harvester Restaurant, the ‘Ludlow Tavern Springhill’ of today began trading in 2005. It now serves hot and chilled drinks (non-alcoholic and alcoholic) to the public and has a restaurant preparing and serving fresh seasonal food sourced from local suppliers, specializing in serving contemporary British home-cooked meals, with a focus on fresh seafood. As a pivotal establishment for the local community, they provide affordable, high-quality dining experiences in a welcoming setting. Remarkably, the majority of their original staff have remained, with many team members collaborating for over two decades.
Chris Ludlow, owner of the Ludlow tavern, commented, “The business was doing well but I was aware that that the boiler was at an age where it was becoming less efficient resulting in significant energy costs. The opportunity then arose to get a free and comprehensive energy assessment via the Business Growth West Midlands Net Zero Grant Programme. The Assessment was carried our very professionally by Pro Enviro, and they agreed that the review would focus on the potential energy and carbon savings associated with upgrading the boiler as well as installing a solar PV system, and free cooling for the stock stored in the cellar”.
Once the Energy Assessment was complete Chris worked with one of the Business Development Officers at the City Council to complete a UKSPF Grant Application. The application focused on the purchase and installation of solar panels as they could not just significantly enhance resource efficiency by reducing energy costs, but provide a renewable energy source, promote energy independence, and align with the company’s environmental stewardship goals.
The securing of the NET ZERO grant enabled Ludlow Taverns to invest in the solar panels, leading to a significant reduction in monthly overheads and fixed costs, ultimately boosting profitability and the company's competitiveness. The projected first-year savings from onsite energy generation are estimated to be 21,593 kWh / £14,055, with a total projection, including energy export, of £14,611. The calculated payback period is 2.6 years, and a projected full cash flow of £240,000 is expected by the 20th year.
Chris added, “I believe this investment demonstrates the company's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, signaling a strong dedication to customers, staff, and stakeholders. Additionally, the cost savings could be reinvested to enhance the skills of current staff, securing their positions within the company”.
In total Ludlow Taverns invested £24,000 in the solar panels and secured a 50% grant towards the cost.
JH Marshall
JH Marshall Pressings is a family run business first established in 1929, with over 90 years’ experience in metal press work operating in Wolverhampton.
They offer extensive expertise to customers in helping create cost-effective tooling for new projects, specialising in metal pressings using a range of ferrous and nonferrous including mild, stainless, galvanised steel, as well as aluminum, copper and brass. With full range of 18 power presses they complete various fabrication work including punching, cutting, cropping, blanking, forming, compound and deep drawing. Their diverse customer base includes, but isn’t limited to construction, agriculture, trade and the rapidly expanding rail sector.
The company established a relationship with the Business Growth team at Wolverhampton City Council early in 2022 attending workshops and then securing capital grant support. Over the past couple of years the company have focused investment on a number of projects to reduce their energy costs and their carbon footprint. These have included the installation of LED lighting, purchasing an electric forklift truck, and moving to a variable speed compressor.
Following discussions with Wolverhampton City Council toward the end of 2023 the business registered for a free Energy Assessment through Pro Enviro as part of the regional Decarbonisation Programme. The Energy Assessment report analysed energy use and source, and concluded that the business could achieve annual financial savings of over £3,775 a year and over 4.7 tonnes of CO2e by implementing one the key recommendations of installing the solar Panels.
Hayley Marshall one of the Directors at J H Marshall's, explained", “Once we had the Energy Assessment completed we worked with the Business Growth team at Wolverhampton Council to successfully secure a 50% grant towards the cost of the solar panels. This green investment will help keep the business on track to become carbon neutral by the end of 2027, and specifically reduce annual carbon emissions by over 30%. The investment of the Solar Panel installation will also reduce energy consumption by over 50% on average per month across each year and in the brighter, warmer summer months reduce the monthly electricity bill by up to 75%”.
The ProEnviro report also suggested that in the future the business invests in a duct to allow warm air from the compressor into the workshop during autumn and winter months. In summary, implementing these two recommendations could reduce energy costs & reduce annual carbon emissions by 38%.
Hayley believes this will demonstrate to clients, new and old and other stakeholders that JH Marshall's are commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for the business they would be able to re-direct this cost saving into further up-skilling current staff, as well as potentially leading to up to 2 more full-time staff roles in the next 18 months.
The solar panel investment will allow them to cut energy costs further by installing smart meters, export electric meters and inverters, advanced devices that measures the amount of energy used or not used by the business and sends this information to the energy supplier, the business can then export back to the grid which should help to lower bills and assist their energy efficiency efforts.
Hayley added, “The use of solar panels to generate electricity is becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason. Along with reducing energy bills and being environmentally friendly, the technology has become more affordable and accessible to all businesses. The investment will significantly reduce our monthly overhead costs, a real concern within the UK’s manufacturing sector, allowing us to compete in the international market place. The support of the City Council and Pro-Enviro has been invaluable”.
Contact us
If you have a query please complete the form below and we will respond within 48 hours. Alternatively, you can call one of our business support officers during normal office hours (weekdays 9pm-5pm) on 01902 555572.
Depending on the nature of your enquiry we will provide a response direct to you or will refer your business to the relevant organisation/s to help you. This help might be through a relevant workshop, a specialist website, or more in-depth over the phone or face to face support.
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