The Princess Royal is to formally open the Birmingham Post’s new offices at Fort Dunlop.
Princess Anne is to visit BPM Media (Midlands) next month.
She will tour the Post and our sister titles, including the Birmingham Mail and Sunday Mercury, on Tuesday May 26.
BPM Media (Midlands) moved to the iconic Fort Dunlop building during October and November last year.
Our £8 million relocation package included investment in state-of-the-art computer systems, enabling us to bring you up-to-the-minute news from the Midlands and beyond, using the latest multi-media packages.
Princess Anne is the latest member of the Royal Family to give us their seal of approval.
In October 1965 her late aunt, the Countess of Snowdon, Princess Margaret, opened the Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd offices at Colmore Circus in the city centre, hailed at the time as Britain’s most modern newspaper centre.
And the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, visited our former printing presses at Weaman Street in May 1968.
BPM Media (Midlands) Managing Director John Griffith said: “We are really delighted that Princess Anne is to open our new state-of-the-art offices.
“The company has proud historical Royal links. Princess Margaret opened the Weaman Street site in October 1965.
“And the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip visited the presses there in May 1968.
“The staff have worked so hard to achieve the successful relocation and have fitted in fantastically well with the new environment.
“It should be a really nice day for them.
“We have got around 500 people working here at Fort Dunlop in our near 24-hour news operation.
“Around £8 million was invested in the move and in new systems.
“We are now seen as one of the world’s leading multi-media newsrooms.
“Since our relocation, visitors from the media industry around the world have visited us to see how we work.
“The national press, including the Financial Times and the Guardian, have been keen to cast their eye over our work, too.
“International visitors have included a Canadian newsgroup, the World Association of Newspapers, and a visit is planned by newspaper experts in Taiwan.
“A plaque commemorating the visit is being made especially for us in Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter.”
Birmingham Post Editor Marc Reeves said: “We look forward to welcoming the Princess Royal to our new site. The investment in new offices and technology shows how important local newspapers are to Trinity Mirror and the public at large. Our relocation from the city centre to the iconic Fort Dunlop building marked the evolution of our business from traditional newspapers to true multi-media platforms.
“As well as bringing readers the latest news in print, we can offer the latest developments on our websites, mobile phone sites, live blogs, podcasts and on social networking sites including twitter and facebook.”
Princess Anne’s spokesman said: “The Princess Royal undertakes many engagements throughout the week and has more than 400 engagements throughout the year.
“The Princess Royal says the local media always cover her engagements very accurately and she is pleased for the support they give to her many charities.
“These include the Save the Children Fund, The Princess Royal’s Trust for Carers, Transaid and Riders for Health.”
