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Business News


Sponsored by: Trinity College London


Birmingham – perfect for business


Trinity College London is approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) & Transport for London (TfL) to provide Secure English Language Tests (SELTs).


By Lisa Donald Head of Business Development Trinity College London


SELTs are taken by people who need to demonstrate their English language proficiency for the purpose of obtaining British Citizenship, Settlement or a visa for work or study.


The SELTs Trinity offer are:


• GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English – a 6- minute (A1), 7-minute (A2) or 10-minute (B1) face-to- face conversation with a Trinity examiner for British Citizenship, Settlement and Further Leave to Remain visa applications.


• ISE: Integrated Skills in English – a contemporary four-skills qualification widely recognised by UK universities for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 4 visa applications.


Trinity’s ISE I (B1) SELT is


also approved by TfL for new and renewal private hire driver licence applications. Trinity has 10 SELT centres


across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, London Croydon, London Hammersmith, London Holborn, Manchester and Peterborough. Further information about the


SELTs Trinity offer can be found at trinitycollege.com/SELT. We have a wide range of free learning resources and preparation materials available to help candidates prepare for their test.


Our friendly advisers are available on 0333 358 3183 from Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm, and Saturday from 9am-4pm.


12 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2017


When Phil Innes came up with the idea for Loki Wines, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Business of the Year 2017, he decided that the business needed to be in a city centre and Birmingham was ideal. Jon Griffin went to see him at his Great Western Arcade establishment.


Birmingham-based Loki Wines are toasting five successful years in the city’s Great Western Arcade – with a growing customer base including Chinese students enjoying £1,000 bottles of Chateau Lafite. Affluent undergraduates from the Far East


superpower are among increasing groups of wine buffs who are flocking to the city centre premises to enjoy up to 40 different wines by the glass. And some wealthy drinkers are splashing out four-


figure sums on individual bottles, as the reputation of Loki Wines continues to grow across the region, according to founder Phil Innes. Loki has gone from strength-to-strength since its


launch in the Great Western Arcade in June 2012, transforming itself over the years into a shop and bar with a vast range of wines on offer. In March it picked up the latest in a string of awards by being named Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s inaugural Business of the Year after winning the Excellence in Retail category. Phil, the founder and owner of the business, said: “I


am delighted with our progress, we have enjoyed year on year growth, and turnover is just short of £1m. “It was originally very much a wine shop with tasting


but the bar side has become more prominent. We are now the only bar in Birmingham where the prominent focus is on high-quality wine. “No other bar in Birmingham has 40 wines by the


glass. We have become a serious wine bar and wine shop – our prices start from £7.99 and go up to £1,000. We do occasionally sell bottles for £1,000, mainly to Chinese students, Chateau Lafite 82. “There is a lot of counterfeit wine in China and there


is a growing Chinese student population here – I always make sure about the provenance of our wines.” Loki’s popularity has mushroomed thanks to its bar


facilities, with hundreds of customers – often young professionals – popping in, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, to sample the wares in the tasting room, which also serves cold meats and cheeses. “Wine has become quite cool and fashionable. When


I started in the wine industry, it was still largely the province of the posh, elderly male with a cellar at home. But the market has changed over time and we are getting more and more younger people interested. Half of our customers are just here for a drink. “We believe that we are doing something here that is


fresh and different from traditional wine merchants. We have now got many university students coming in and buying bottles of wine. “Our best-selling wines are New Zealand Sauvignon


(white), Argentinian Malbec Edge (red) and Prosecco.” Phil, who is originally from Harborne, said he


developed a taste for wine while studying at Manchester University. “I got really into studying wine, one of the really interesting things is the breadth and depth of wine – there is always more to explore. “By the time I got to university I realised that I didn’t


want to work nine to five. For this business, I originally wanted a nice, village location, somewhere like the Cotswolds, but for this concept you really need to be in the city centre and I thought Birmingham was ideal.” Loki, with a current workforce of six, are now looking


to expand further, with new stores planned for Moseley and Edgbaston set to open in July. “We will be taking on extra staff, we aim for five per shop, 15 in total. The aim is for between seven and 10 sites in the next five years – the idea is to expand with more stores, I would love to have one in Solihull.”


* See page 6,7 and 8 for more firms who have chosen to move to Birmingham


Phil Innes: A taste for fine wines and business success


Loki Wines toasts success


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