Birmingham is set to welcome a wave of new restaurants and businesses this October, while also bidding farewell to several long-standing establishments, including two bank branches and a historic fabric seller that has traded since the 1930s.
Bank branches closing in Birmingham
Two bank closures are confirmed in Birmingham this month. Lloyds Bank on High Street in Harborne will close on Thursday, October 8. Halifax on Alcester Road South in Kings Heath will close on October 2.
The Kings Heath closure comes as the Halifax brand is being phased out by Lloyds Banking Group and transitioned entirely into Lloyds Bank across England. According to Halifax's branch information, there will still be a Lloyds branch at 32–34 Alcester Road South.
Customers are being directed to continue using online banking, mobile apps, or local Post Office locations for everyday banking needs such as cash deposits and withdrawals.
Historic business closing in Digbeth
Barry's Fabrics on Moseley Street in Digbeth will shut up shop at the end of October to make way for the new Smithfield Development. The historic business was founded in the Rag Market as a stall back in the 1930s.
New restaurants opening in October
Flat Iron is opening its first steakhouse in Birmingham city centre on Temple Street on October 10. The restaurant will offer 50% off food on Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9 as it soft launches.
KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar is opening on Temple Row on October 12 in the former Riva Blu premises. The 200-cover restaurant will serve sushi, sashimi, ramen, wagyu and Japanese-inspired drinks. There will be free sushi available on September 8.
Sticks'n'Sushi will open in Three Chamberlain Square in the autumn, although there isn't a specific date yet. It will be a 250-cover restaurant and is expected to create around 60 jobs.
College restaurant reopening after refurbishment
The restaurant at Birmingham College of Food in Summer Row reopens in late October following a major refurbishment, with a larger open-plan restaurant and new finishing kitchen.
Beyond - a new restaurant at the University College Birmingham - will showcase the skills of students. Opening in late October in front of the college's Summer Row building in Birmingham city centre, the new 80-cover café/restaurant/bar will serve small plates, with sharing dishes that 'celebrate the diversity of UCB's students and Birmingham's heritage' made with locally-sourced produce.
The Physician in Edgbaston reopens after refurbishment on October 24.
