Member Article

Chinese delegation visits Leeds to open trade links with Yorkshire

A delegation of some of China’s biggest retailers met with luxury and heritage brands from Yorkshire who are looking to enter the growing Chinese luxury market.

Over 25 companies, including ASOS (China), Moda Mia, Net-A-Porter (China) and Wahaha, China’s largest beverage company; held one-to-one meetings with some of the region’s biggest brands at the Queens Hotel in Leeds on Wednesday 19 February.

The visit, organised by UKTI and supported by the University of Leeds Confucius Institute, Leeds and Partners and China Britain Business Council, builds on a successful trade and investment mission, led by Leeds and Partners in January.

The trade and investment mission visited the major trade centres of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing as well as targeting the strategically important medium-sized cities of Xiamen, Guangzhou and Hangzhou.

It identified 23 Chinese businesses with an active interest in expanding internationally and 17 partnership opportunities with major international investment and trade organisations.

Lurene Joseph, Chief Executive of Leeds and Partners, said: “China is an economy which is rapidly reshaping, with an increasingly global outlook.

“The Renminbi is now a top 10 internationally traded currency and with the creation of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and other free trade zones soon to follow, it offers significant opportunities for businesses in the city region.

“The Chinese recognise that there is mutual benefit in building long relationships with cities where they will benefit from innovation, skills and partnering; particularly with academia.

“I believe the Leeds City Region is well placed to grasp the opportunity and we are seeking to build long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships with key cities that focus on our core competencies.

“This reciprocal visit is focused on luxury and heritage brands and is a clear sign of the growing importance of Leeds as a retail centre.”

Matt Lowe, Commercial Director at Ginetta Cars, who is meeting the retail delegation said; “Ginetta thoroughly understand the exciting opportunities a presence within China brings, given its significance within the global economic market.

“The opportunity for all of us is in the UK is to work hard to build those relationships now that will allow us to foster mutual opportunities in the future.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .