West Midlands exporters continuing to prop up UK overseas trade

EXPORTERS in the West Midlands are continuing to prop up the UK’s global market, according to latest trade figures.

While the UK trade deficit on goods and services rose to £2.9bn in December compared with £1.8bn in November, West Midlands exports continued to grow faster than any other region over the past few years.

Greg Lowson, president of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce said: “The statistics show that there is still a strong need to boost export activity to ensure wider economic recovery.

“However, we must not forget how well the West Midlands is performing in exporting its goods and products across the world.

“West Midlands exports have grown faster than any other region in recent years. Ours is the only region in the UK with a positive trade balance into Asia and Oceania, meaning that the West Midlands exports more to China than it imports.”

At an event organised by Birmingham City University and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Liam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Lodge Hill and Shadow Universities Minister, confirmed that the West Midlands continues to prop up the rest of the UK’s export figures.

He was speaking at From Start-up to Export, which was attended by nearly 100 delegates and hosted by Birmingham City University.

The event also heard from William McGrath, CEO of AGA Rangemaster, who spoke of the strength of British brands abroad but highlighted the challenges of entering new markets and advised against complacency.

Rebecca Struthers, of Struthers-London, said more needed to be done to help young entrepreneurs across the region and Joel Blake, founder of Cultiv8 solutions, advocated a closer engagement between businesses and schools to help develop the entrepreneurial spirit within young people.