Eastern Europe, the Middle East and India are set to be the growth areas for eastern region companies looking to do business overseas in 2016 according to Government figures.
Poland, United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Qatar and Egypt, along with India and Canada, showed growth in this region in the three months to September 2015 according to the latest figures from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Overall, Germany, the USA, Ireland, France and the Netherlands were the largest export markets for the eastern region in 2015.
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) East regional director Alan Pain: “While the United States and Western Europe continue to be our largest export markets, these other countries are showing significant growth in all types of business areas from the supply of parking meters in Egypt to high quality cider in the Czech Republic. Companies wanting to expand their business overseas should definitely be thinking about these parts of the world.”
One Eastern region business already succeeding in the Middle East is Chelmsford-based firm The Vintage Cosmetics Company, which recently got its false eyelashes into five of the Gulf States via Boots International following an introduction from UKTI.
“Women in these countries are obviously very focused on the eyes,” said the company’s head of brand development Clare Collard.
“They also enjoy spending money on beauty products.”
Among the current business opportunities available in these countries are the supply of laboratory equipment to Poland, renewable energy and biodiversity management in Egypt, agricultural and medical diagnostics equipment in India, partnerships with universities, e-learning and support for Expo 2020 in the UAE, online retail, a water theme park and opportunities with the World Cup in Qatar and free from products and British cheeses in the Czech Republic. These and many others can be found at http://www.businessopportunities.ukti.gov.uk
The Exporting is GREAT initiative, a Government export campaign, was launched in November 2015. It aims to inspire and support 100,000 additional UK exporters to sell their goods and services overseas by 2020. More information can be found at www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk.
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