In brief: York Handmade delivers Oxford contract; Exporters to share expertise; Late payments hamper SMEs

EXPERIENCED exporters across Leeds have joined forces through a new network to help more companies take advantage of opportunities in international markets.

The We are International Export Network brings together successful exporters from a range of sectors, who will be sharing the secrets of their success through a series of business networking events at DLA Piper in Leeds.

The network is part of the We are International campaign, an initiative by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), UKTI and Chamber International, to add £2.6bn to the Leeds City Region economy by providing more support for companies to do business overseas.

Companies interested in becoming export champions can register at www.weareinternational.co.uk.

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YORK Handmade Brick Company has delivered a contract for a flagship business school development in Oxford.

The brickmaker manufactured and supplied 30,000 bespoke bricks for the second phase of the new Saïd Business School, part of Oxford University, in a contract worth £50,000.

David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade, said: “We were delighted to be able to help in the construction of such an important Oxford building.”

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A QUARTER of SMEs in Yorkshire are experiencing cashflow problems, a new survey suggests.

The figures are part of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance’s bi-annual Business in Britain survey,  which questioned more than 1,700 firms across the country in a variety of sectors about issues affecting them, including 96 firms in Yorkshire.

Of those SMEs that experience cashflow difficulties, over half say that late payments are to blame. The number of firms attributing cashflow problems to late payments has risen slightly over last year, up from 48 per cent.

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TRANSPORT bosses in South Yorkshire have been awarded a grant of £18.3m of Government funding to improve bus services and information across Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) bid on behalf of the Sheffield Bus Partnership to enable Sheffield to become the first Better Bus Area and pioneer the national scheme.

The grant combines money already paid directly to bus operators with new Government funding, which together will be invested in improving bus services and traffic management across the city.