What The Custard Factory does

The Custard Factory is a creative workspace and venue estate operated by Oval Digbeth Ltd within the larger Digbeth Estate in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The original building was constructed in 1902 by Alfred Bird to manufacture Bird's Custard; production ceased in the 1960s and the site was restored in 1993 before being acquired by Oval in June 2017 as part of a broader regeneration programme. The portfolio today comprises eight distinct buildings — the flagship Custard Factory, The Bond, Fazeley Studios, Tubeworks, Greenhouse, Floodgate Factories, Arthaus, and the forthcoming Wilds — together with retail and leisure spaces, offering flexible workspaces ranging from 170 sq ft studios to 12,000 sq ft floorplates. Tenant mix spans freelancers, makers, creative agencies, tech and media companies, restaurants, bars, and event venues, with heritage industrial architecture (Crittall windows, exposed steel) providing distinctive character.

The business generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly workspace lettings (£300–£12,000 PCM per enquiry), supplemented by retail, leisure, and event-venue income, plus a dedicated events channel via digbethevents.co.uk. Distribution combines a direct lettings team with channel partnerships (Knight Frank, Siddall Jones), supported by digital marketing (website, social channels, the Digbeth Digest newsletter) and community-engagement programs delivered through the Locale tenant app. The company's competitive positioning rests on its heritage industrial asset base, an established creative community, and proximity to Birmingham city centre with upcoming HS2 connectivity at Curzon Street.

Operationally, the estate is actively regenerating: it holds a 2020 hybrid masterplan planning consent, recently launched Floodgate Factories with green energy sourcing, has the Wilds warehouse in development, and is pursuing a rooftop extension at the Custard Factory and the transformation of the Duddeston Viaduct into a sky park. No public revenue, headcount, or funding data are disclosed; the entity is privately held under Oval/Bellerive Regen 1 Limited.

Name

The Custard Factory

Legal name

Oval Digbeth Ltd

Website

https://digbeth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Custard Factory is a privately held creative workspace and venue estate in Birmingham's Digbeth neighbourhood, operating eight historic buildings under Oval Digbeth Ltd and offering flexible offices, studios, retail, leisure, and event spaces to a long tail of creative, digital, media, and hospitality tenants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Workspace Real Estate

NAICS

Facilities Support Services (561210)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Occupancy Services (Move/Add/Change, Seating, Wayfinding) (IMAIALAF)

Keywords

• Creative workspace leasing
• Flexible office rentals
• Event venue hire
• Commercial real estate
• Retail space leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Workspace Rental: Primary revenue from leasing office, studio, retail, leisure, and event spaces to businesses and individuals. Spaces range from 170 sq ft to 12,000 sq ft with flexible lease terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Custard Factory, part of the Digbeth Estate in Birmingham, leases creative workspace including offices, studios, retail units, leisure venues, and event spaces across multiple converted historic buildings. Spaces range from 170 sq ft to 12,000 sq ft with flexible lease terms, serving creative businesses, freelancers, makers, agencies, tech firms, restaurants, bars, and event clients. Workspace is offered directly through the lettings team and via channel partners Knight Frank and Siddall Jones.

Product overview

The Custard Factory is a creative workspace provider operating within the Digbeth Estate in Birmingham. The offering is a portfolio of distinct workspace types across multiple buildings: the flagship Custard Factory (300-12,000 sq ft offices, studios and event spaces), The Bond (80-8,169 sq ft for TV/film/media/tech), Fazeley Studios (400-8,000 sq ft event venue), Tubeworks (460-1,696 sq ft creative offices), Greenhouse (170-750 sq ft for incubators/small businesses), Floodgate Factories (2,500-8,000 sq ft new-build), Arthaus (200-400 sq ft maker spaces), Wilds (11,000 sq ft warehouse), plus Retail and Leisure spaces. The portfolio provides flexible workspace solutions for businesses ranging from freelancers to 120-person teams, with amenities including conference rooms, bike storage, showers, and on-site restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Custard Factory: Birmingham's famous creative hub built by Alfie Bird in 1906 to produce Bird's Custard. Today it retains its industrious edge with original Crittall windows, exposed steels and high ceilings. Home to creative studios, tech companies, media agencies, makers, creators and independents.
• The Bond
• Fazeley Studios
• Tubeworks
• Greenhouse
• Floodgate Factories
• Arthaus
• Wilds

Products and services

• Custard Factory Workspace The flagship 1906 heritage building offering creative office, studio, and event spaces ranging from 300 to 12,000 sq ft, accommodating 4 to 120 people across four floors. Home to creative studios, tech companies, media agencies, makers, creators, and independents, and host to fairs, festivals, gigs, and corporate/private events.
• The Bond Workspace Birmingham's creative hub with a focus on TV, film, media and tech tenants, offering workspaces from 80 to 8,169 sq ft (2,000-8,000 sq ft core range). Contemporary urban space designed for creative industries.
• Fazeley Studios Venue A former warehouse and church reimagined as a venue in the heart of Digbeth with soaring ceilings and courtyard views, offering event spaces ranging from 400 to 8,000 sq ft. Suitable for conferences, weddings, and corporate events.
• Tubeworks Workspace Former tube works factory now home to workspaces with charm and character, offering creative office suites ranging from 460 to 1,696 sq ft (500-1,500 sq ft core), featuring fibre connectivity and a secure courtyard.
• Greenhouse Workspace Seven-storey building well suited for incubators, accelerators, and small businesses, with spaces from 170 to 750 sq ft. Half of the spaces offer a private balcony. Overlooks the central square and the Old Crown pub.
• Floodgate Factories Workspace Newly completed workspace complex with large flexible roof-lit open-plan floorplates ranging from 2,500 to 8,000 sq ft, suitable for single occupation or collectives. Features a private roof terrace and green energy sourcing.
• Arthaus Maker Studios Informal maker spaces and artist community with 24 individual studios ranging from 200 to 400 sq ft, located in a historic missionary building.
• Wilds Venue Characterful 11,000 sq ft former warehouse space from the W.J.Wild Metal Works, suitable for event venues.
• Retail Spaces Independent retail spaces in Digbeth featuring eclectic boutiques, art galleries, vintage stores, and artisanal craft shops.
• Leisure Spaces Live music venues, restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs outside the mainstream, making Digbeth a creative and cultural destination.
• Event Venue Hire (Digbeth Events) Conference, wedding, festival, and corporate event venue hire across the Digbeth Estate, with a dedicated events website (digbethevents.co.uk) and [email protected] booking channel.
• Locale Tenant App Mobile app for tenants providing building announcements, delivery notifications, online help desk, visitor management, and exclusive events calendar with offers. Available on iOS and Android.

Quantifiable outcome

• Space sizes from 300 sq ft to 12,000 sq ft across multiple buildings accommodate businesses from 1 person to 120+ people
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global flexible workspace operator with design-led positioning. Comparable on flex terms and creative occupiers, though geographically and operationally broader than Custard Factory.
• IWG (Regus): Global flexible workspace incumbent operating Regus, HQ, and Spaces brands. Overlaps in serviced-office model but lacks Custard Factory's creative-heritage niche and single-district focus.

Direct peers

• The Office Group (TOG): UK flexible and design-led office provider operating creative-flavoured workspace across major UK cities. Closely aligned on flexible terms, design quality, and creative-quarter positioning.
• Second Home: Creative-focused coworking operator known for design-led spaces and creative community programming. Comparable on creative positioning and community-ecosystem value proposition.
• Allied London: Manchester-based developer of creative mixed-use estates (Spinningfields, The Smiths). Comparable on heritage-building regeneration and creative-quarter stewardship.
• Bruntwood Works: UK regional operator of characterful, design-led flexible workspace across Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and Birmingham. Closely comparable to Custard Factory on heritage-led creative positioning and city-district regeneration thesis.
• Workspace Group plc: London-listed flexible workspace provider operating characterful converted industrial buildings across London. Directly comparable business model of leasing characterful multi-tenant space to creative and SME occupiers.

Regional players

• Argent (King's Cross Estate): UK developer of large-scale creative mixed-use estates (King's Cross, Brent Cross). Comparable on masterplanned creative regeneration, though operating in London rather than Birmingham.
• Peel L&P (MediaCity): Developer-operator of creative mixed-use estates including MediaCity Salford. Comparable on creative-cluster stewardship and event/TV tenant mix.

Emerging players

• Town Hall Hotel & The Trampery: UK creative coworking and incubator operator. Comparable on creative-economy tenant mix and flexible terms, though at smaller scale than Custard Factory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/indigbeth
• Facebookfacebook.com/digbethestate
• Instagraminstagram.com/digbethestate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Custard Factory