Growth Company helps build next generation of export support services

Mark Hughes

Export Growth Partners is a new venture formed by four leading UK business support organisations aimed at exploiting post-Brexit opportunities.

The pioneering collaboration consists of the Greater-Manchester-based Growth Company, Business West, from Bristol, One Midlands, and London-based digital innovators Enterprise Nation.

The four founding organisations are a mixture of award-winning global trade specialists providing export services on behalf of government, and private sector firms offering expert advice to businesses.

Building on strong strategic partnerships with Department for International Trade (DIT), Department for Exiting the EU (DEXU) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Export Growth Partners will support the realisation of the Government’s industrial strategy and forthcoming export strategy.

Export Growth Partners provides support across all stages of the export journey – from market research, overseas market visits, finding buyers to fulfilling export documentation – right up to ensuring payment is received.

Ahead of launching, the group has also negotiated preferred partner arrangements with specialist banks, translation agencies and shipping agents, to provide a comprehensive end-to-end support package for businesses.

Speaking for Export Growth Partners, Mark Hughes, chief executive of The Growth Company said: “Capitalising on global opportunities is vital for UK firms and this new collaboration will give businesses a clear advantage to get access to global markets, while building strong sustainable links in a post-Brexit world.

“Many of our companies feel daunted by the complexity of exporting. Even those businesses that have seen the benefit of the extra sales that exporting brings still struggle to know where to turn to for help, advice and hands-on fulfilment – including how to get paid.

“Export Growth Partners is going to fundamentally change how we drive and assist UK companies to export – making it simpler than ever before to enter new markets with products and services.

“Combining our individual expertise, we will deliver an unrivalled range of international trade support from the public and private sector to companies up and down the country.

“Technology has changed everything, and it has an important role to play in how we can make a difference to UK plc.

“Four of us pooling our resources together will be able to accelerate exports much faster than each one working alone.”

By coming together Export Growth Partners will build on their market-leading strengths to transform how businesses trade internationally – redefining export support to meet the challenges and opportunities of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Between them, since 2015, these organisations have supported more than 56,000 businesses to export, creating in excess of 14,000 jobs for the UK economy.

Last year alone they assisted UK businesses in achieving additional export sales of £2.26bn.

Their vision is to create an integrated, nationally-recognised route to world-beating export support.

As a new venture they will assemble bespoke export support packages from ‘best in class’ public and private sector specialists.

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