Birmingham Chamber of Commerce (BCI), which supports nearly 3,000 companies in the Birmingham and Solihull region, is itself going into business in a bigger way.

For the first time in its 200-year history, the BCI is stepping up its commercial services to members, and beyond.

The oldest Chamber in the country has launched a range of discounted services in liaison with a number of business partners.

• Chamber Leasing gives members access to greener, more efficient vehicles and cheaper fuel bills.

• Chamber Travel offers members a local business travel service with savings on airfares by using business partner Kanoo Travel's worldwide contacts.

• Chamber Businesses For Sale.com provides a link to thousands of businesses for sale on the web.

• Chamber Data Services brings members a user friendly marketing search facility to enable companies to carry out free searches for new contacts with access to over 2.2 million business records.

• The Chamber itself has already saved £12,000 a year on utility bills in liaison with Auditel. Businesses can take advantage of that same opportunity.  Private medical insurance is now more affordable through a new scheme with AXA PPP Healthcare.

Russell Jeans, Membership and Business Services Director at the BCI, said: "The world of business is changing and the Chamber has to revolutionise the way it does business.  Our members' needs are paramount and these new services will provide them with some great deals."