BCC and UKTI chiefs in joint drive to get more British businesses exporting

Two of the UK’s foremost international trade advocates have joined forces to encourage more British businesses to rediscover their mercantile spirit during the recession.

David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Lord Davies, Minister for Trade and Investment, are urging companies - especially SMEs - to recognise the numerous trading opportunities in foreign markets and to start exporting.

The joint call comes at the beginning of World Trade Week UK and follows the publication of the BCC’s international trade survey, Exporting Britain.

The report reveals that most companies export because they have been approached by their customers (58%), or by an agent or distributor (19%). Half of the firms polled said they export to specific markets because they already had connections there.

The BCC argues that these figures suggest that many businesses are not as proactive as they could be when it comes to exporting.

Other key results from the survey include:

43% of firms said they do not export as it does not feature in their business plan.
Of the 87% of exporters trading in Europe a minority encountered non-tariff barriers.
Help finding clients would encourage 21% of non-exporting businesses to consider it, while 16% would be incentivised by a ‘one stop shop’ that provided market research, legal advice and fiscal support.

Read more: http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/zones/export/press-releases/bcc-and-ukti-chiefs-in-joint-drive-to-get-more-british-businesses-exporting.html

Source: British Chambers of Commerce

www.ukba.co.uk