Birmingham City Council appoints Signature Outdoor Ltd as commercial advertising partner

Under the terms of the new deal, the council will receive a guaranteed lump sum of over £1million, and a share of any profits. Initial projections suggest that in the ten-year lifespan of the contract, the council could earn up to £18million.

Steve George, managing partner at Signature, said: “Birmingham is a vital marketing area for so many advertisers and we’re delighted to have won this tender and enter into such a long-term relationship with the city, with the objective of bringing world-class facilities to areas of the city where there is no large-scale outdoor currently.

“By establishing industry-leading standards of site presentation and service, we’ve grown to be Birmingham’s largest Backlight media owner and demonstrated that an independent can more than compete with the big national and international outdoor players. We can’t wait to get started on this new development programme.”

Cllr Paul Tilsley, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “This is a significant early win when it comes to the council’s aim to open up all channels of income generation.

“The city is home to many sites which are attractive from an advertising perspective, and our new strategic approach ensures we will maximise revenue, which will be reinvested into services for the people of Birmingham and will achieve the £1million income target set.”