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."
Innovation Support
We are keen to significantly increase the level of engagement in, and awareness of, the innovation support and funding available to Wolverhampton businesses so that we can be closer to the level experienced across the west midlands. This current gap in up take of support is a driver for a much greater focus on understanding and promoting the Innovation ecosystem by the City Council.
So what is innovation
But what do we mean by innovation, how can a business be more innovative, what difference would an innovative mindset make, exactly what support and funding is available. Well to answer these questions and more, Innovate UK Business Growth are delivering a programme of Workshops and drop-in sessions in the City. Innovation comes in two forms - anything new to the market or anything to the business. So, innovation could see new products or services in the marketplace but equally it could be through processes and systems, which helps improve production, reduce costs, or drive efficiencies.
Our Innovation Workshops
At the first of the Workshops Eamonn O’Connor, Senior Innovation and Growth Specialist at Innovate UK Business Growth, gave an overview of the support available from Innovate UK and from the wider ecosystem. He is now following up with a series of 121’s with those who attended, and are keen to explore further the support and funding available.
The next workshop is at 9am on 19th July at the Technology Centre Wolverhampton Science Park, and the focus will be on Innovation Funding. To find out more and book a place please click here.
Is innovation support right for me?
We appreciate some businesses do not see themselves as innovative, and/or would not consider themselves eligible for Innovate UK support. That may be the case for some, but you would be surprised at the range and types of business that have received support. If you are wondering whether innovate UK Business Growth Support would be relevant to you why not take a look through some of their case studies here.
A helpful toolbox
Inspired by Taiichi Ohnos’ “5 Whys”, this free tool helps you to quickly get to the root causes of problems. By the end, you’ll have sorted between symptoms of the problem (which are often mistaken for the problem itself) and have a clearer picture of what you need to address! This tool is available for free as part of Steamhouse's growing Innovation Toolbox, full of handy interactive resources to help you innovate to solve problems! Also check out the Assumption Dump tool which you should always try before starting any project!
Follow this link for an insight into the full support from Innovate UK Business Growth.
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.
Bowers and Jones
Bowers and Jones Ltd are based in Bilston area of Wolverhampton, and have been making roll tooling and equipment for the metal rolling industry in the Black Country for almost 70 years.
The company currently employ 16 staff who offer a complete in-house service provided by their experienced engineers, including technical advice to optimise customers production processes. This together with continuous investment in machinery and software, has built Bowers and Jones into a Centre of Excellence for design manufacture and the worldwide distribution of rolls and rolling equipment for a wide range of sizes and applications. The company has been on a growth trajectory and has a turnover of over £4M
The business was set up in the mid 1950’s and the managing director is Jane Sommerville.
Jane has worked in the steel industry for over 30 years, has a BEng Hons in Mechanical Engineering and a Warwick Business School MBA. She joined the business in 2012 when the company was owned by a German Group and has managed the purchase and sale of the business 3 times since then, ending with a successful MBO with her fellow directors in 2020.
The company exports over 70% of sales, with more than half of this being into the EU the other half going to North America. They specialise in high value, high performance products and have a very loyal customer base who rely on quality, experience, and technical abilities to "Keep Mills Rolling".
The company has been working with Wolverhampton Council for a number of years and in 2022 the business invested in a new CUT E 600 Wire Eroding Machine. allowing them to cut complex shapes from a variety steel grades, to improve their productivity and reliability, thus reducing lead times to begin delivery of a new growth plan.
Most recently the company have benefitted from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) securing a £50,000 grant toward a £400,000 investment in a new Doosan Vertical Lathe. The company again worked with adviser support from Wolverhampton Councils business growth team and Business Growth West Midlands to develop a robust business case to secure the grant. Commenting, MD Jane Sommerville said, “We want to expand further, and the new machine will provide capacity for bidding for high value, high quality products for very special applications in the metal forming and rolling contracts in the UK and overseas. It will reduce business lead times by alleviating a bottleneck the company currently has in this product range.
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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