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Enterprise

Meet the West Midlands businesses tackling coronavirus head on

From winning online client pitches to pressing ahead with product launches, companies in the region are trying their hardest to triumph in the economic battle against coronavirus

Birmingham businesses are tackling coronavirus head on

Businesses across Birmingham and the West Midlands are facing an unprecedented challenge, the likes of which have not been seen in peacetime.

The spread of coronavirus has closed shops, factories, bars and restaurants and forced workers to set up offices in their living rooms and on their kitchen tables as they bid to keep companies afloat.

But where there is adversity comes invention, with many utilising 21st century technology to stay connected with clients while others have reinvented their offer in a bid to reach new customers.

The head of the Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District summed up the situation well when he told the BusinessLive that companies in the district were showing "a real stubbornness" as they battled the economic effects of the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

Luke Crane said the area was rallying against the stringent new measures designed to stop mass gatherings and encourage social distancing.

"There's no denying these are really testing times for our Jewellery Quarter businesses, low footfall is particularly damaging for our fantastic retailers who mostly specialise in the jewellery trade," he told BusinessLive.

"But with bars and restaurants adapting to offering delivery services and museums and retailers developing online voucher schemes, there is a real stubbornness in the community that is testament to the strength of the Jewellery Quarter.

"It would be wrong of me to say that coronavirus isn't having an effect on business but the incredible spirit and tenacity that especially our SMEs and microbusinesses have shown during this time, fills me with so much confidence that the Jewellery Quarter will continue fighting."