Made in the West Midlands; three home-grown brands that have found the recipe for success

Published: 24 November 2025

The West Midlands has long been a launching pad for ambitious entrepreneurs and start-ups. With its central location, solid infrastructure, skilled workforce and rich manufacturing heritage, the region is home to some of the most well-known and successful brands in the UK - and indeed across the globe.

Jaguar, Triumph Motorcycles, Typhoo Tea, Cadbury, Land Rover, Norton Motorcycles and Bird’s Custard are just a few of the household names who started their journeys in the West Midlands. Key to the success of each of these brands has been their commitment to quality, their ability to invest and scale operations, and their ambitions to trade internationally.

Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM) was established to help business owners do exactly that; to grow, scale and break into new markets across the UK and beyond.

Through this initiative, local businesses can access a wealth of free advice and support, including funding, innovation, growth programmes and routes to export. Since its launch in 2023, BGWM has already helped over 450 entrepreneurs and 7,000 businesses to access £3.4 million in grants and become enterprise-ready.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at three of the UK’s best-loved brands, all of whom started out on home turf, and explore some of the free services that could help your business follow in their footsteps.

From garage to global fitness empire

When Solihull native and Aston University student Ben Francis became frustrated with his low-paying pizza delivery job, he bought the domain name Gymshark.com and started selling performance supplements. With no money to buy stock, the business started in 2012 as a drop-shipping operation, and it wasn’t long before Ben expanded his range to include sportswear.

But when he realised the product quality wasn’t ideal, he bought a sewing machine and a screen printer and started making clothes himself. The following year, an NEC exhibition marked a huge turning point; Gymshark went from making £300 per day to £30,000 in 30 minutes.

Rapid growth followed, and in 2016, Ben established the brand in Brooklyn, USA. Two years later, he opened an official HQ on Solihull’s Blythe Valley Business Park, followed by Gymshark’s first store in London’s Regent Street. Today, Gymshark is arguably one of the biggest fitness brands in the industry, shipping its products all over the world; and it all started in a Solihull garage.

For West Midlands SMEs like Gymshark, expanding into international markets can be a catalyst for sustainable business growth. Businesses with an international presence are more likely to achieve high turnover growth, and more likely to survive domestic downturns, since they’re not solely reliant on local demand.

West Midlands businesses can now join the free Export Support Programme. The programme offers 1:1 expert guidance on market research, strategic planning, and overcoming export challenges.

Participants can access workshops and training covering essential skills like export documentation, customs declarations, and international e-commerce. The programme also provides assistance with the practical and legal aspects of exporting.

Transforming the culinary landscape

In 1972, five brothers in Wolverhampton had a dream; to bring authentic Asian flavours from India, Pakistan and East Africa to the UK. Like many other families, their parents had moved to the UK in the 1960s, and the Wouhra brothers had found it impossible to find the pulses, spices and dishes they grew up on.

After opening their first shop in Wolverhampton, their brand, East End Foods, grew to become one of the UK’s leading wholesalers, turning over more than £100m annually by 2007. The brothers eventually moved to Birmingham, believing the West Midlands to be a key strategic point for all their operations.

Critical to their success has been a firm emphasis on sourcing the highest quality products available from a global network of growers and artisans. Today, as part of the Vibrant Foods Group, you’ll find East End Foods’ products in the world food aisles of major UK supermarkets like Waitrose, Tesco and Asda, as well as independent Asian grocery stores across the country.

For East End Foods, scaling their business nationwide and establishing a larger operation in Birmingham was key to their development. For start-ups and SMEs throughout the West Midlands, making the decision to scale will inevitably require investment.

Business Growth West Midlands provides free support and guidance, delivered through a combination of tailored advice, free programmes and events, to help businesses take the next step towards sustainable growth.

One of the ways we help businesses to scale is through our Investment Readiness Programme, designed to help SME owners understand the various business finance options available. We also work one-to-one with owners on a mentorship level to help them develop their investment pitch; you can explore the programme and check your eligibility here.

Humble beginnings to household name

Step into the bathroom of any hotel or BnB - or even many comfort-conscious UK homes - and you’re likely to come across a familiar sight; Baylis & Harding toiletries. In the last decade, this Birmingham-born brand has become a household name, with its bath and body products adorning the shelves of leading gift retailers up and down the country.

But their story goes all the way back to 1970, when founders David Slater and Marcia Simmons spotted a gap in the market for luxury cosmetics with an affordable price tag. Naming their brand after their respective grandmothers, Granny Baylis and Granny Harding, the duo started out in their barn next to Birmingham’s infamous Spaghetti Junction.

Decades later, and now based across the border in Worcestershire, Baylis & Harding remains a family-owned brand and is now one of the biggest bath and body brands in the UK. In recent years, it has also expanded its presence across the US.

Developing a wide product range and securing customers across a diverse range of sectors - from hotel chains to online gift retailers - has been instrumental in the brand’s development. One of the ways we support businesses with these targets is through our Supply Chain Transition Programme. The programme is designed to help eligible businesses to innovate, develop new products and diversify their customer base by exploring and securing work in new sectors.

As you can see, the West Midlands is an inspiring example of how businesses across diverse sectors can grow, innovate and achieve lasting national and global success; and with the help of support programmes such as ours, Midlands entrepreneurs can turn their ambitions into reality.