13/08/2026
STATEMENT REGARDING DIGBETH MIDLANDS RAIL HUB CONSULTATION
M. Latif & Sons has proudly traded in Birmingham for 70 years, with Digbeth playing an important part in our history and our future.
We are extremely concerned about the proposals currently being consulted upon in relation to the planned West Midlands Rail Hub expansion in Digbeth.
While we fully support investment in Birmingham and recognise the importance of improving public transport and connectivity across the region, in our opinion the proposals as they currently stand raise serious questions about the future viability of our retail operation in Digbeth.
For many years, this part of Digbeth has effectively been starved of adequate public transport provision. Despite the significant regeneration taking place across the wider area, access to our part of Digbeth by public transport remains extremely limited. Based on the proposals currently being consulted upon, we are concerned that this situation will not improve and could, in practical terms, become even worse.
That makes maintaining good road and vehicle access even more important.
Accessibility is absolutely fundamental to a destination retail business such as ours. A significant proportion of our customers travel to us by car, often purchasing larger household and homeware products. Any substantial reduction in vehicle access, changes to surrounding roads or further difficulty reaching our premises would inevitably have a major impact on customer footfall and our ability to trade successfully from this location.
This comes at a particularly important time for us. Having recently committed to extending our presence in Digbeth, we have commenced a major refurbishment programme intended to secure the future of M. Latif & Sons at our historic Birmingham home and bring the Latifs magic back for a new generation.
However, given the potential implications of these proposals, we are now reviewing whether it remains commercially sensible to continue with those renovation works. We must also consider whether the long-term future of the business would be better served by relocating our retail operation to a more accessible location, or ceasing our physical retail operations entirely and focusing our investment and resources on our rapidly developing online sales channels.
Our website already enables us to serve customers far beyond Birmingham, with our ranges and offers increasingly accessible to customers across the UK. The continued growth of www.latifs.co.uk inevitably means that, when considering significant further investment in a physical retail location, accessibility and the long-term commercial viability of that location have to be taken seriously.
That is not a decision we would take lightly. After 70 years of physical retailing in Birmingham, the prospect of no longer operating a bricks-and-mortar store would represent a significant change for our business, our team and generations of customers who have shopped with us.
We want to remain in Digbeth. We want to continue investing in Birmingham. We want to see the city benefit from better transport infrastructure. However, regeneration cannot come at the expense of accessibility to the very businesses that have remained, invested and continued trading in the area.
After years of disruption and inadequate public transport provision, established businesses in Digbeth need greater accessibility, not less.
We will be engaging fully with the consultation process and strongly encourage our customers, neighbouring businesses and other stakeholders who may be affected to make their views known.
Kashif Latif
M. Latif & Sons
Serving Birmingham and the Midlands since 1956
Established since 1956 - specialists in homewares, clothing, bedding, linens, kitchenware, luggage, DIY, fireworks and much much more!
