Audience research
Birmingham buying groups versus London: how B2B demand generation differs
What official figures say about the Birmingham and West Midlands business base compared with London, and how that should change B2B demand generation targeting, channels and agency choice.
What to take away
- No official body publishes data on buying groups. What the statistics show is the size and shape of the business base around them, and that is where the real regional differences start.
- London holds 19.7% of UK VAT and/or PAYE-registered businesses. The West Midlands holds 7.9%. A London list is bigger and more crowded, so the cost of standing out is higher.
- Output per head in the West Midlands region is less than half the London figure, which is a reason to test pricing and deal size assumptions before copying a London plan.
- Segment by where the decision is taken, not only by the address on the website. A site in the West Midlands may report to a head office elsewhere.
- Keep the same compliance rules everywhere. PECR does not change by postcode.
What the official numbers do and do not show
The Office for National Statistics counts VAT and/or PAYE-based businesses each year. In its 2025 release, published on 24 September 2025, London had 538 thousand such businesses, 19.7% of the UK total of 2,734,615. The West Midlands had 216 thousand, 7.9%. The ONS rounds the regional figures, so treat them as approximate.
Output tells a similar story. The ONS regional GDP release of 17 April 2025 puts London at £617,915 million for 2023, or £69,077 per head, with a population of 8.9 million. The West Midlands region had £195,208 million, or £32,077 per head, with 6.1 million people. These 2023 estimates were provisional when published.
What these figures cannot tell you is how many people sit on a purchase decision, how long the cycle runs or which channels they trust. Anyone who quotes a "Birmingham buying group size" without a named source is guessing. The sensible approach is to read the structure of the market, form a hypothesis and test it in your own pipeline.
What the market structure suggests for targeting
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) describes an economy worth £77 billion, about 3.5% of the national economy, with strengths across advanced engineering, health and medical technology and smart energy systems. Its 2026 State of the Region report says five priority clusters account for nearly half of the region's enterprises and GVA, and that advanced engineering GVA rose 9% between 2022 and 2023.
That shape matters for a campaign. A London list for B2B services tends to be wide across sectors. A West Midlands list is more likely to be built around a few industrial and engineering clusters, with supply chains that connect the same firms to each other. The practical consequences are these:
- Named-account work pays back sooner.When a region's buyers cluster in a few sectors, a list of 100 well-researched accounts covers a larger share of the real market. The approach in account-based marketing for UK demand generation fits this pattern.
- Sector language beats location language.A manufacturer in Coventry cares that you understand its sector. Mentioning the city adds little unless you have a physical presence there.
- Reach the operators as well as the signatories.In manufacturing, engineering and operations leads often shape the shortlist, so content has to answer technical questions before it reaches finance. The guide to demand generation for UK manufacturers covers that.
These are working hypotheses drawn from the structure of the market. Check each one against conversion data from your first campaign before you lock the plan.
Where the buying group actually sits
Many firms with a Birmingham site are not decided in Birmingham. A plant, depot or regional office may sit in the West Midlands while budget authority sits in London, another UK city or abroad. The ONS counts an enterprise as the organisational unit with decision-making autonomy and a local unit as a single site, so a count of sites in the region is not a count of buyers.
Companies House gives you a free first check. Its public service shows a company's registered address, current and resigned officers, previous names and document images. Use it to see whether the directors who sign contracts are listed at a London address, and whether a parent company controls the business. Then tag each account as one of three types:
| Account type | Where the decision usually sits | Targeting approach |
|---|---|---|
| Independent regional firm | In the West Midlands | Local events, trade bodies, direct outreach |
| Regional site of a national group | At head office, with local influence | Reach the local operator, then the central buyer |
| Single London office | In London | Standard national channels |
Tagging accounts this way stops you paying to reach a site manager who cannot sign a contract.
Channels and timing across the two markets
Official sources do not rank channels by region, so avoid claims that one city responds better to events or paid search. A fairer comparison is cost against reach. London is bigger and more competitive, so shared channels such as paid search and sponsored media are likely to be crowded there. A smaller regional market may allow local events and trade press to carry more weight, but only if the sector concentration holds for your segment.
A sensible test plan looks like this:
- Pick one segment, such as engineering firms with 50 to 250 staff, and build a named list in each region.
- Run the same message and offer to both lists for one quarter.
- Compare meetings booked per 100 accounts, not clicks, using the approach in the measurement and reporting guide.
- Move budget towards whichever list produces qualified conversations at the lower cost.
Whichever market you choose, the UK rules and compliance guide applies. The ICO explains that PECR's email rule on direct marketing does not apply to corporate subscribers, but you must still identify yourself, provide a valid address for opt-outs and honour objections. Sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals, and live calls to numbers on the TPS or CTPS need consent.
Choosing an agency for a regional programme
A London agency can run a West Midlands campaign, and a Birmingham agency can run a national one. Location matters less than the evidence they can show. When you compare suppliers, ask:
- Which sectors in your target region have they run campaigns for, and what did the pipeline look like after six months?
- Who builds the account list, and how do they check where the buyer actually sits?
- Will they report meetings and qualified opportunities, or only impressions and form fills?
- Do they document their lawful basis and suppression process for outreach?
Read the notes on agency reviews in England before you shortlist, and ask for references from firms in your own sector.
Common questions
Are Birmingham buying groups smaller than London ones?
There is no official statistic that answers this. Buying group size depends on deal value, sector and company size more than on city. Test it by counting the roles that appear in your own closed deals.
Should I run separate campaigns for Birmingham and London?
Only if the targeting logic differs. If both lists share a sector and a buyer role, one message with two lists lets you compare results cleanly. Separate creative makes sense when the sector mix is different.
Is the West Midlands a single market?
No. WMCA data shows wide gaps within the region. In 2023, GDP per capita ranged from £21,766 in Dudley to £53,082 in Solihull, with Birmingham at £33,362. Treat local authority areas as distinct when you size a segment.
Official sources
- UK business: activity, size and location, 2025 (ONS)
- Regional economic activity by gross domestic product, UK: 1998 to 2023 (ONS)
- West Midlands State of the Region report 2026 (WMCA)
- Our economic opportunity and foundations for growth (WMCA)
- Business to business marketing (ICO)
- Get information about a company (GOV.UK)
