HSBC has chosen to relocate to Birmingham, the UK's second city, and to keep the building works under wraps, leading graphics and signage company, Hollywood Monster have manufactured and installed over 150m of giant hoardings using their creative and technical expertise since work began at 2 Arena Central, the new base of the HSBC UK headquarters.

Commenting on the first project, Andy McKenzie, client director, said Hollywood Monster’s reputation for turning around complex projects to tight deadlines meant it was perfectly placed to complete the work in just a matter of days. He said, “Our team had the technical ability and expertise to make sure HSBC received its giant hoarding exactly when it needed it. The deadline was very short but thanks to our investment in top-of-the-range equipment and a talented team of experts, we were able to meet it in time. Not only was it the first project we have completed for HSBC, it’s very satisfying to be involved with yet another high-profile scheme in our home city.”

As part of the relocation, HSBC has moved about 1,000 roles from London to Birmingham and plans to move 2,500 employees into 2 Arena Central in early 2018. The ring-fenced bank HQ is just one building in a wider £400 million scheme at the city centre development, which has planning permission for 2.3 million sq ft of mixed-use space at the nine-acre site. It will comprise 1.2 million sq ft of retail and leisure outlets, 860,000 sq ft of grade-A office accommodation, more than 200,000 sq ft of residential units, and spaces for 2,500 cars.