The UK has an important role to play within the BMW Group. It is the only place in the world where all three of BMW Group’s brands – BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars – are represented by manufacturing operations.
BMW Group employs around 8,000 people directly in the UK with an additional 14,000 in its 147-strong Retailer network representing BMW and MINI brands. The company has invested nearly £2 billion in its UK operations since 2000, and the UK is BMW Group’s fourth largest sales market in the world.
The BMW Group is the world’s leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility.
The growth of BMW Group’s UK operations has been significant. MINI Plant Oxford, the heart of MINI production, began producing MINIs in 2001 and has now produced over three million to date. BMW Plant Hams Hall started producing 4-cylinder petrol engines in 2001. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited began manufacturing vehicles at its Goodwood plant in 2003, while MINI Plant Swindon has been the main supplier of MINI body panels since 2005.
In addition to its manufacturing sites, BMW Group also has a UK Sales and Marketing subsidiary in Farnborough with a Vehicle Distribution Centre in Thorne.
Alphabet is Europe’s leading provider of Business Mobility services. Supporting brands such as Panasonic and McDonald’s Restaurants, Alphabet manages a fleet of over 150,000 vehicles in the UK and almost 650,000 vehicles across 19 countries worldwide.
Alphabet’s portfolio of Mobility services comprises a comprehensive suite of vehicle funding solutions and fleet management including: corporate and employee car schemes, commercial vehicles, risk management, vehicle rental, accident management, fleet management and maintenance.
BMW Financial Services (GB) Limited was established in 1996 to handle wholesale, retail and fleet financing for the BMW Group. Based in Farnborough, Hampshire, It exists to support the sales of all BMW Group products in the UK and provide Retailers and customers with bespoke funding packages and insurance products enabling more customers to access the whole BMW range.
In 2016 BMW Financial Services (GB) Ltd was awarded the ‘Investors in People’ - Gold Standard.
Wokefield Park near Reading is host to the BMW Group Academy UK. This purpose-built training and development facility is responsible for providing all technical and non-technical training to the BMW, MINI and Motorrad Retailer network across the UK from apprentices to Heads of Business. Opened in May 2006, the Academy has been awarded an Ofsted rating of Grade 1 (‘Outstanding’) based on its last three audits.
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycling division of BMW Group UK. Its 39-strong network of Retailers across the country continue to offer industry-leading service, resulting in BMW Motorrad being voted ‘Best Motorcycle Brand’ in the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 RiDER Power surveys. BMW Motorrad also organises and runs worldwide riding tours, rider training from novice to advanced and an off-road riding school, through its activities program – World of BMW.
BMW Plant Hams Hall first opened in 2001 and the plant has a successful and sustained history of producing small, fuel-efficient, low emission engines for a variety of models across the BMW and MINI product portfolio. Over four million engines have been produced at Plant Hams Hall and the latest generation of three and four cylinder engines are produced on-site.
Products: MINI Hatch (3-door and 5-door), MINI Clubman, MINI John Cooper Works (JCW).
With a site covering over 100 acres, BMW Plant Oxford builds hundreds of MINIs each day to individual customer order, five days a week. Known as the ‘heart and home of MINI’, since the launch in 2001 more than three million MINIs have been built at Oxford, around 80% of which have been exported to more than 110 countries around the world.
Products: Home of MINI panel production, and supplier to the BMW production network.
MINI Plant Swindon employs approximately 850 associates on a site covering 450,000 m². Facilities include 16 press lines and 240 robot cells. Just over half of the pressed parts go to the MINI plant in Oxford, with the rest going to MINI production at the Nedcar plant in Holland and also to other plants in the BMW production network. Over 47.5 million panels were produced in 2016, and over 3 million sub-assemblies.
24,000 people directly employed by company and Retailer network with over 46,000 UK jobs supported in total
BMW Group has a long established commitment to supporting education across the UK. The BMW Group Education provides teachers and students with free, curriculum linked educational resources.
BMW Group UK is proud to continue to support numerous charities and community projects as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, an area that we take very seriously.
Sustainability and taking care of the environment is firmly embedded in BMW Group’s culture and corporate strategy. We see it as a basic requirement for the individual mobility of tomorrow.
