UK Trade & Investment (London): UKTI opens gateway to growth in global markets for London SMEs - Green & Black's founder says, "I wish I had used UKTI"

Companies gathered in London last night to hear about a government programme that is helping exporters in the capital and beyond to expand into more overseas markets, improving their productivity and competitiveness in the process.

Level 31 of at Centre Point provided the appropriately panoramic venue for London: Your Gateway to International Growth, an event organised by UK Trade & Investment’s London International Trade team to highlight the help available to SMEs through the Gateway to Global Growth export development scheme.

Representatives of around 90 companies heard guest speaker Jo Fairley, co-founder of the premium organic chocolate brand Green & Black's, chart the history of her business from a flat in Portobello Road to its current status as “the world’s first global Fair Trade brand”, with an annual turnover of around £40 million.

As well as luck and a passionate commitment to your product, she noted that good planning is needed to give your business the best chance of success. She admitted that Green & Black’s early export development had been somewhat haphazard, a question of learning from their mistakes, and wished she’d had recourse to the sort of expert advice and assistance that UKTI offers through Gateway.

“You need to be wary when setting up distributor deals, and I wish I’d had UKTI to help me with this. Distributors can end up virtually owning your brand in their markets if you’re not careful,” she said.

One company that has already taken advantage of the Gateway to Global Growth service is West London translations company TranslateMedia. Company CEO Patrick Eve spoke of how Gateway support had helped take the companies export business to a new level, with the value of sales rising from £500,000 in 2008 to an expected £4.5 million in 2011. He highlighted the services that had been key to this growth:

• UKTI advice to identify the most appropriate international trade shows and funding to cover some of the costs of attendance;
• the Export Marketing Research Scheme (EMRS) – providing funding for in-market research projects; and
• the Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS).

Patrick described OMIS as “incredibly valuable”, providing bespoke support from UKTI experts based in export markets to arrange introductions to potential clients, assist during overseas visits, analyse market entry strategies, and give market and sector-based advice. An OMIS report commissioned by TranslateMedia from UKTI in New York led to long-term agreements to supply translation services to UN agencies UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR and the International Trade Centre in Geneva.

Patrick Eve concluded: “Approaching UKTI and going on the Gateway programme was a really important step for us. And OMIS is like a great Italian restaurant you have found but don’t want anyone else to know about because you want to keep it to yourself!”

The event was also an opportunity for delegates to network with other companies, some of them already on the Gateway programme, and with UKTI’s international trade experts for advice on how to enhance their success in global markets.

UKTI introduced the Gateway programme nationally in April 2009. To date, 408 London-based companies (168 in 2009/10; 240 in 2010/11 to date) have signed up.

The programme has been a real success for UKTI’s customers, at a time when doing business overseas is so important to economic growth yet is becoming ever more competitive. Of the 1,200 SMEs signed up to Gateway in its first 12 months, 67 per cent improved their business performance, and 80 per cent increased productivity and competitiveness.

The award to UKTI of the title Best Trade Promotion Agency in a Developed Country at the International Trade Centre's Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Network Awards 2010, in Mexico, specifically recognised the development of Gateway to Global Growth.

Notes to editors

1. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the Government department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s economy – acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage.

2. For more information on UKTI, visit www.ukti.gov.uk or telephone +44 (0)20 7215 8000. For latest press releases, visit the online newsroom at www.ukti.gov.uk/media.You can also keep in touch with developments at UKTI through www.blog.ukti.gov.uk www.twitter.com/ukti andwww.flickr.com/photos/tags/ukti

3. Gateway to Global Growth is aimed specifically at innovative SMEs with between two and ten years’ export experience. It offers a single route to a wide range of guidance and support from UKTI, as well as from other public and private sector bodies, tailored to the needs of the individual company, helping them overcome trade barriers and achieve a new level of international success.

Over a 12-month period, SMEs work with an International Trade Adviser (ITA), developing a strategic export development plan, and implementing it using appropriate UKTI services, whether market research, country visits, or training in subjects such as maximising website effectiveness or managing IP. Crucially, the programme provides access to UKTI’s network of advisers and officials at home and in some 96 countries worldwide. Gateway companies can also take advantage of training modules under the Executive Development Programme, provided by the Cass Business School and designed to provide business leaders with the tools to make the most of international trade opportunities.

4. UKTI’s London regional team is dedicated to increasing the competitiveness of SMEs in the capital through international sales development. A team of International Trade Advisers, part-financed by the European Union, delivers tailored help to businesses who are either exporting for the first time or looking to enter new markets.

The team can be reached at: 020 7234 3000; info@uktilondon.org.uk

Contacts

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