UKTI’s Export Week tour hits the road

UK TRADE and Investment’s Export Week roadshow has been touring the region, with a message that international trade can help businesses transform their fortunes.

On Monday UKTI’s regional director Clive Drinkwater visited Cumbria, and yesterday he visited Wigan company Simpsons Premium, a family-owned manufactuer of organic dog food. which in just nine months has seen its export turnover increase from zero to 15% of all sales.

With help from UKTI, Simpsons Premium is selling in to the Netherlands, Greece, France and Poland and is in talks with an importer in India. 

The Export Week activities is part of a national campaign led by UKTI to increase UK exports and grow the economy.

Another regional export success story highlighted by UKTI is Cumbrian company Playdale Playgrounds.

Playdale designs, manufactures and installs outdoor play equipment and sells to 18 countries with ambitions to increase this to 40 countries.

Until 2008 the firm was entirely UK-based, but now its equipment can be found in countries including France, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Libya, Israel, Thailand, South Korea, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and US.

Clive Drinkwater, said: “The ability to trade anywhere in the world will be a defining characteristic of the most successful business of the future, enabling them to reach many millions of potential new customers and we want to help companies achieve this objective.

“In 10 years’ time the world’s population will have grown by a further 1 billion people, almost all of that in emerging, high growth economies.  With our current biggest markets experiencing the slowest growth rates, we desperately need to embrace the opportunities that exist in developing markets or risk being left behind.

“Playdale’s achievement in going from zero to over 18 export markets in 5 years shows what can be done with the right product and approach, and with UKTI support I am sure that it will grow its exports even further in the years to come.”

More information on Export is available at www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk