Change your business address
If you're a full access user, you can update your business, registered, mailing and personal addresses within Online for Business and the Business banking app.
Metro Global; The Birmingham based international supply chain specialist building a global network
Metro Global has grown from a UK focused freight forwarder into a multinational supply chain business, moving components, raw materials and finished products around the world for its blue-chip clients. Headquartered in Birmingham and established in 1981, the group now employs around 450 people worldwide, with expanding operations in India and the US.
Read time: 4 mins Added: 11/11/26
As supply chains went global, so did Metro
For much of its early history, Metro Global was built around supporting UK manufacturers as they imported raw materials and exported finished products around the world. As that sector contracted and more British manufacturers evolved, Metro evolved alongside them.
That process has accelerated in recent years, with Metro now present in eight offices across India, serving large corporate customers in automotive, construction and agricultural machinery. At the start of this year the group also opened bases in Chicago and New York, while closer to home, it has added offices in Belfast, Leeds and Felixstowe, and expanded its Manchester footprint, adding additional sales resource.
Growth has come from winning new business and from going deeper with existing customers, which has seen Metro average a turnover of around £250 million over the past three years, while container volumes are up around 23% in 2026.
Grant Liddell Chief Executive Officer, Metro GlobalUK manufacturers’ supply chains have evolved over time. Some have moved production to China, for example, and they need to move their products around the world, whether that's from India to Brazil or from China to the USA. We’ve had to evolve with them.
A platform made to withstand the demands of a global business
Metro has banked with Lloyds for around 40 years, with the relationship evolving to support the business’s growing international ambitions. Lloyds brings together working capital, card, trade, treasury and foreign exchange capabilities to help Metro manage its domestic and international financial needs, including the buying and selling of US dollars and euros.
Metro was an early adopter of Connected, Lloyds’ foreign exchange tool that brings together accounting and banking data to deliver actionable insights across cash flow forecasting and FX risk management. Metro uses Connected as its main transactional platform, comparing scenarios in seconds rather than working through them manually.
Laurence Burford Chief Financial Officer, Metro GlobalGiven the nature of our business, we are heavily dependent on the spot market, although we do look forwards, and the platform enables us very quickly to assess whether to forward something and how long for. We can do all of that at the click of a button.
Metro’s feedback has helped inform the platform’s ongoing development across cash flow forecasting, FX risk management, reporting, data integration and user experience.
Laurence is equally clear that the technology works because of the people behind it. The Lloyds Markets team carried out a review of Metro’s treasury policy that led it to put more robust policies in place which can be inputted and monitored on Connected, while regular market updates from Lloyds keep the team updated on what is happening in financial markets.
The relationship has also opened doors; Lloyds has made introductions across its client network that have generated commercial opportunities for Metro to support those businesses with their logistics requirements.
A shared vision for the future
Metro is now focused on embedding its presence in the US, deepening existing client relationships and scoping opportunities for new business development, with the option of acquisitions should the right opportunity arise in an active logistics market.
Grant is candid about the challenging international operating environment, describing a world moving "from one Black Swan event to another", where Metro has found its advantage in being reliable and consistent compared to many of its competitors, aided by the tools and expertise provided by Lloyds.
Jack Etherton Relationship Director, Commercial Banking, LloydsMetro and Lloyds go back a long time and our relationship is about more than just the day-to-day products that Lloyds can provide. It's a joined-up effort where we constantly work to add value and support Metro’s domestic and international cash flow requirements with payment and liquidity solutions that improve efficiency, control and visibility, helping them manage supplier payments and collections across multiple markets. And Connected is a joined-up solution that has streamlined treasury operations, reduced manual processes to support Metro’s continued growth.
You may also be interested in
All lending is subject to status. Eligibility criteria apply.
CHANGES IN THE EXCHANGE RATE MAY INCREASE THE STERLING EQUIVALENT OF YOUR DEBT.
All enquiries for foreign currency accounts will be referred to a specialist manager who will provide more information about charges for these services upon request.