Finance provider opens new headquarters in Solihull

BNP Paribas Personal Finance has formally opened its brand-new headquarters in Solihull, West Midlands joined by Councillor Ian Courts, leader of Solihull Council, the West Midlands Growth Company, SuperTech and colleagues across BNP Paribas in the UK.

The 25,000 sq. ft office space at AIR in Solihull town centre is now home to 800 colleagues for the organisation’s UK subsidiary and West Midlands regional office for vehicle leasing company and group company, Arval.

The decision to remain in the West Midlands and relocate to a new headquarters marks an exciting new chapter to the organisation — a decision that was rooted in strategic forecasting based on BNP Paribas Personal Finance’s ambitious growth plans.

Whilst residing in Solihull for over 50 years, BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has seen extraordinary growth as a business; from launching back in 1973 as Selfridges Finance Limited to now supporting over four million customers, welcoming a new customer every 22 seconds.

In that time, BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK has created over 6,000 jobs across a variety of departments, including Marketing, IT, Risk to Customer Services and supported over 300 partners, including household names like John Lewis, Currys and B&Q.

It is this trajectory of growth that has brought about the organisation’s relocation and substantial investment of £3 million to create a collaborative, modern environment that will foster a culture of connectivity, creativity and productivity among its work force. The collaboration with group companies Arval and BNP Paribas Real Estate, as well as Solihull Council and the West Midlands Growth Company has helped to secure AIR as the new UK HQ for BNP Paribas Personal Finance.

With over 1,000 colleagues in the West Midlands across three BNP Paribas entities, the Group recognises the strength of the region for growth.

Stephen Hunt, chief executive officer at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, explained the rationale behind this investment, “As a leading provider of point-of-sale retail finance, it’s incredibly important that we invest in our colleagues and our work environment to enable us to maintain our position in what is a very competitive market.

“Our commitment to our colleagues, along with our ability as a business to continually innovate and adapt, are two key reasons why we’re now able to support over four million customers across the UK with their personal finance needs.

“We’re incredibly excited about this move and to be staying in the West Midlands. As the region with the fastest-growing tech sector in the UK, there is no better place for our team to be based to drive forward our business.”

 When considering the best place to relocate the organisation’s headquarters, the team overseeing the move explored alternative locations before deciding that remaining in the town centre of Solihull was the best option and a no brainer given colleagues could continue to access the town’s great facilities.

As well as being recognised as one of three major fintech hubs in the UK, the West Midlands is also reported to have the UK’s fastest-growing tech sector that is set to boost the UK’s economy by billions in the next three years.

As a leading finance provider in the UK, BNP Paribas Personal Finance is at the forefront of digital transformation in the financial services sector and as a result, is an active contributor to programmes aimed to supercharge the industry. This includes being a founding participant of the fintech incubator programme, The Innovation Lab, in collaboration with SuperTech WM.

Ricardo Mantovani, deputy CEO BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, said: “Over the last 50 years, our organisation has gone from strength to strength and whilst we can attribute much of this success to the brilliant people who have worked at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK during that time, it is also a direct result of being located in the West Midlands.”

“The West Midlands has long been considered as one of the best regions to set up businesses due to its thriving population, which is now the UK’s youngest and most diverse, and the ever-increasing number of businesses in the area, which includes now over 200,000 businesses — making it the ideal location to take our business to the next level.”

Following the success of BNP Paribas Personal Finance’s last 50 years in the region and its subsequent contribution to the local economy, news of the organisation’s decision to remain in Solihull town centre was well received by local businesses, including Touchwood, Solihull BID, the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

Cllr Ian Courts, leader of Solihull Council and cabinet member for the Economy, said: "It was a pleasure to meet with Stephen and the team at BNP Paribas Personal Finance for the formal opening of their brand-new headquarters in Solihull town centre.

"Their long-term strategic decision to grow their operations here in Solihull, is testament to our business-friendly infrastructure and reflects the obvious locational and lifestyle advantages we offer. This significant investment not only underscores the company's confidence in our region but also highlights the West Midlands as a prime location for business growth and innovation.

"Solihull now represents the 5th largest economy in the UK outside London and the Southeast with a GVA 44 per cent higher than England average. Dynamic, forward-looking companies like BNP Paribas Personal Finance are absolutely critical to this economic success story.

"We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with BNP Paribas Personal Finance and supporting their ambitious future growth."

Katie Trout, director of Policy and Partnerships at the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), said: “BNP Paribas Personal Finance’s choice of Solihull for its new headquarters – driven by the West Midlands’ status as the UK’s largest regional financial services cluster, excellent connectivity and diverse STEM talent pool - reinforces the key role the region is playing in advancing its global growth strategy. We’re confident that the state-of-the-art AIR building will prove to be the ideal home for the business and we look forward to continue supporting it to achieve its objectives and add value to the local economy.”

Pictured (L-R): Front row: Jon Lander, Katie Trout, Stephen Hunt, Councillor Ian Courts, Pierre Bouchara, Julie Philps. Back row:  Simon Robinson, Emma Norman, Hilary Smyth-Allen, Christophe Donnay, Chris Lawes, Ricardo Mantovani, Jason Wright