North East exporters urged to look beyond Europe and ‘think more globally’

Representatives of manufacturing firms and other businesses in the North East gathered recently to discuss exporting now and after Britain leaves the European Union.

The meeting, held at Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield, saw the region’s business leaders hear from export experts about putting their companies in the best position possible for post-Brexit growth.

Organised by North East accountancy firm Tait Walker, the event shed light on the importance for regional businesses to consider export options beyond the EU.

Tait Walker managing partner Andrew Moorby led a five-strong panel that included Simon Crosby for the Department for International Trade; Will McGarrigle, from the Confederation of British Industry; Patrick Kendell of UK Export Finance; Beverly Perry from the Intellectual Property Office; and Jacqui Tulip, representing the North East England Chamber of Commerce.

The discussion urged attendees to assess their export activity and develop a new strategy ahead of March 29, when Britain will formally part from the trading bloc.

Simon Crosby, who is a senior international trade adviser with the DIT, said that while there are already great examples of successful exporters in the North East, more needs to be done.

He explained: “At the Department for International Trade, we are aiming to get more companies exporting for the very first time and to get those already exporting into new markets.

“The North East is a region of SMEs and some can face some real challenges when it comes to exporting, which we can help them overcome.”

Mr Crosby added: “We are the only region with a consistently positive balance of trade, but we need more businesses to start to consider trading outside of the UK.”

The event called on North East businesses to look at worldwide trade and the larger market opportunities, beyond the EU, to extend product life-cycles and enhance their growth potential.

It also addressed the importance protecting intellectual property across different markets, securing financial support through UK Export Finance and assessing specific issues around customs.

North East England Chamber’s Jacqui Tulip commented: “North East businesses have a huge support network and some great online tools to help them to understand new markets and opportunity to expand globally.

“We need to encourage local businesses to think more globally and share their success stories”

The meeting was the second event in Tait Walker’s 2018 Export Campaign, which runs until the end of November.

Andrew Moorby, Tait Walker’s managing partner, commented: “Our export campaign aims to support businesses across the North of England on how to explore export opportunities, understand support networks and how we can work better together as a unified region.

“We still don’t know what the outcome of Brexit will be and there is a lot of uncertainty, but it’s important that we start to look at the other markets that are available to us.”

He added: “The more we can export as a nation, the better our economy will be and there are ways that we can prepare for a no deal, with recognised customs standards and cash flow planning.”