Business West wins contract to provide export support to Wiltshire’s SMEs

Business West will deliver export support to businesses in Wiltshire and Swindon for the next five years, Trade Minister Lord Livingston has announced.

The preferred bidders have been chosen by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the length of contracts will give businesses consistency and underline the Government’s long term commitment to increase the number of companies that export.

All the providers will be locally based, helping companies start exporting or increase their overseas business by finding customers in new markets, taking part in trade shows and exporting online around the world.

The lengths of the contracts also mean that English companies will be eligible to bid for up to £100 million in additional export support through the European Structural & Investment Funds.

Lord Livingston said, “I am delighted that we can commit to long term contracts and provide the support that businesses need to break into new markets creating jobs and growth for their region.

“UKTI will be working with locally based organisations, including social enterprises and Chambers of Commerce, to ensure that public money is targeted at where it is most needed and spent responsibly.”

Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, said, “As holders of the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) contract over the last seven years, we have been remarkably successful in promoting international trade to thousands of businesses in the South West and we take enormous pride in winning the contract for another five years.

“This will enable Business West to continue to provide all the help a business needs to start up and grow at home and overseas.

“Successful export businesses achieve greater growth, more durability and higher profitability. We strongly encourage South West businesses to take advantage of growing global opportunities and to take up UKTI’s extensive services at each stage of the export journey.

“We are starting from a good position, with the ‘Made in Britain’ label being seen across the globe as desirable – associated with quality. People are willing to spend their money on UK products and services, so if a business has been successful selling at home, there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t be successful selling overseas.

“Business West, as holder of the UKTI contract, is looking forward to capturing the imagination of businesses and continuing to encourage them to #GetExporting, – all the while assisting the government in its pledge to double UK exports to £1,000,000,000 a year by 2020.”

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) helped a total of 47,960 businesses in 2013 to 2014 to export for the first time or find new markets through its extensive network of specialists in the UK and in British embassies around the world.