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Reward Funding has further strengthened its UK growth plans by appointing Adrian Stalley as its first head of partnerships. In the newly created role, Adrian will drive forward the alternative lender’s sales and marketing strategy at a national level, by working closely with the regional directors and business development teams across its six UK offices. Adrian will also be focused on expanding Reward’s extensive network of introducers and commercial finance brokers, to ensure its overall sales strategy is closely aligned with its wider business growth aims. Adrian’s career spans over 30 years working in senior director and management roles in sectors ranging from telecoms and utilities to insurance and property. In the last six years he has focused on growing strategic partnerships and driving national business development opportunities in the commercial finance space. Adrian Stalley, head of partnerships for Reward Funding, commented: “With Reward having recently unveiled its new brand identity and strategic direction, it feels like the perfect time to be part of its continued growth success across the UK. I feel we’re really at the forefront of the lending market and filling the void left by traditional funders, by helping ambitious entrepreneurs and businesses thrive across so many sectors." “I’m looking forward to collaborating with the teams across our six offices, exploring new business development opportunities and channels, and as an ambassador of the business to further help expand our national network of introducers.” Adrian will be working alongside Sharon Ellis, Reward’s strategy and programme director, who added: “The appointment of Adrian and the wealth of sector experience and strategic insight he brings to the business, really illustrates the scale of our growth ambitions across the UK moving forwards. I know our regional directors and business development teams are really excited and energised by his arrival and are looking forward to working with him to further bolster our market presence.”

The Birmingham office market is poised for sustained growth in 2025, driven by a focus on office quality, lease flexibility and sustainability credentials, believes a regional office market expert. Carole Taylor, regional managing partner (Midlands and North) at Birmingham property consultancy Vail Williams, says the positive office trends monitored throughout 2024, which was an exceptional year for office take-up in Birmingham, are continuing. She added: “With an expanding base of diverse occupiers and investment in innovation districts, the city will cement its role as a competitive and resilient destination for businesses." “As the market evolves, both traditional and serviced office spaces will remain pivotal in meeting the demands of modern occupiers." “The emphasis for landlords has to be on delivery of low-carbon, sustainable designs which are aligned with Birmingham's net-zero goals. New developments will need to meet this design premium if they are to attract quality occupiers such as more blue-chip organisations.” “Prime rents in Birmingham are now between £40-£45 per sq ft for premium office space in the city and features like energy efficiency, wellness spaces, and cutting-edge facilities are now on the essential list for occupiers.” Carole, who has more than 30 years’ property experience across the Midlands, said 2024 marked a turning point for the Birmingham office market, which saw take-up in the city exceed 843,000 sq ft, a 20% increase on 2023 figures. Companies cemented their post-pandemic office decisions and by the end of Q3 2024, the number of office transactions totalled 71 – the highest take-up for that stage of the year since 2015, according to trade body the Birmingham Office Market Forum. Indeed, Q3 alone saw a record-breaking take-up of approximately 337,236 sq ft across 23 transactions, a 156% increase on 2023 figures and the highest take-up per quarter recorded since the pandemic. And whilst there were 12% fewer deals in 2024 (96), more space was actually let, showing a desire to lease more space once again, driven by the nationwide return to the workplace that mostly remains on a hybrid basis. Carole said this demand was being driven by a number of sectors, including education, innovation, technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), professional services and the serviced office market. A standout performer in 2024, the education sector accounted for 42% of total take-up in Birmingham, including one university deal for 189,503 sq ft, which helped reaffirm the city’s appeal as a hub for education and innovation. Innovation districts such as the Knowledge Quarter, Health Innovation Campus and Enterprise Wharf, denoted significant growth and helped Birmingham to continue to attract science, technology, and healthcare firms and establish the city as a tech and innovation hub. The TMT sector was in the driving seat of leasing activity in 2024, with several notable transactions, and Colmore Business District remains a hotspot for legal and professional services, further strengthening the city’s position as a leading commercial centre. Carole added: “The serviced office market in Birmingham also thrived alongside more traditional office space in 2024, with ongoing demand for short-term flexible leasing options. “This is down to hybrid work models remaining in place for a lot of businesses, but sectors such as education have also leveraged its versatility for administrative and teaching purposes, as we saw across several transactions last year." “We are expecting even more activity in 2025 as the drive back into the workplace continues, which bodes well for the regional office market and the businesses based here.” Vail Williams has been based in the Midlands for nearly 15 years, during which time its team in Birmingham has tripled in size, including the recent appointment of property agent, Joshua Laurence from Macguire Jackson. The firm also has a presence in Leeds, with a client base which extends across the North – from Birmingham to Nottingham, on up to Leeds and Newcastle and back down to Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent. Vail Williams’ full-service property advice includes commercial agency, investment and development advice, building consultancy, property valuation, planning, lease advisory, property asset management, business rates and occupier consultancy.

The global ecommerce market is on a trajectory of rapid expansion, set to reach $11 trillion in 2028, driven by technological advancements, seamless delivery services, and rising internet penetration. With China and the US dominating the landscape, companies must continuously innovate to meet evolving consumer expectations, embrace ESG compliance, and leverage data-driven strategies to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly dynamic sector, says GlobalData , a leading data and analytics company. GlobalData’s latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Ecommerce,” reveals that the global value of transactions for the ecommerce market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.1% between 2023 and 2028, driven by improved technology and delivery services and wider internet adoption. Aisha U-K Umaru, Strategic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The global ecommerce industry is dominated by China and the US, with market shares in 2023 of 33% and 30%, respectively." "These countries are home to some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Alibaba and Amazon, which benefit from the huge troves of data generated by user activity on their platforms.” Subscription-based services are a growing ecommerce segment. Beauty brands like Estrid and Harry’s started with subscription services and have enjoyed great success. Both are now available in physical stores, further boosting sales. Harry’s filed for an IPO in March 2024 after reaching nearly $1 billion in revenue. However, some subscription services have struggled after a rapid rise. Once valued at almost $2 billion, meal-kit subscription service Blue Apron was bought for about $100 million by food delivery company Wonder in 2023. Umaru continues: “Consumers are also concerned with the social and governance factors of ESG. As a result, it remains high on the agenda for ecommerce companies, both to comply with relevant regulations and to meet consumer demands. ESG regulations such as the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities are also a method of clamping down on greenwashing, the practice of inflating a company’s ESG performance for marketing purposes.” Other terms such as carbon neutral, green, and environmentally friendly are being regulated, and ecommerce companies must ensure they comply with relevant guidelines to mitigate the risk of litigation. Umaru concludes: “Initiatives like the Fifteen Percent Pledge, which urges US retailers to allocate at least 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses, highlight the increasing emphasis on social equity within the ecommerce sector." "Additionally, issues such as supply chain transparency and diversity remain critical, as brands strive to align with the evolving ESG priorities of Gen Z and Millennial consumers.”

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