International Trade

International Trade 3 min read

More than 3,000 medium-sized businesses exporting due to UKTI support

Despite making up just 0.5 per cent of UK businesses, medium-sized businesses (MSBs) account for a fifth of employment and 25 per cent of UK turnover. In 2013 it was believed that a disturbing gap in export finance was shackling the international ambitions of MSBs and could damage the UK economy’s long-term prospects. This pattern seems to have shifted.

International Trade 5 min read

Export push brings importance of intellectual property protection to the surface

The president of Mexico is on a state visit to the UK this week to build up trade and export links between the two nations.

International Trade 3 min read

Brit Awards show why the music industry could be the UK’s “poster boy” for exports

Yesterday at the Brit awards a competition was unleashed between Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran about who would be taking home the most awards, not to mention Madonna's minor falling mishap. Undoubtedly, however, with UK artists such as Royal Blood, One Direction and Paloma Faith riding high on the charts, it's easy to see why the music industry has become the “poster boy” for British exports.

International Trade 4 min read

EU financial services “seem to be in secular decline”

London, along with New York, is one of the world’s two undisputed global financial centres, well ahead of the Eurozone’s two most significant centres Frankfurt and Paris. But much of this success has come from insurance and financial service exports, which may now be in sharp decline.

International Trade 2 min read

UK companies stand to benefit from China’s increasing appetite for solar power

Growth in China's solar power industry is set to provide opportunities to UK businesses, mainly manufacturers, over the next five years.

International Trade 2 min read

Online retailers turning to global markets for growth

To support further growth, eight in ten UK SME online retailers are targeting new international markets, with the US top of the list.

International Trade 4 min read

Kelly Hoppen: “Everyone focusses on a gender divide, but it’s all about drive”

Only one in five UK SMEs currently export. This is a worrying statistic given that businesses are 11 per cent more likely to survive if they export, according to CBI. And despite recent government focus on gender equality, women are an even smaller part of the equation. We talked to former Dragon Kelly Hoppen about the export gender divide.

International Trade 5 min read

The hilarious banned import guide

An increase in UK exports has been a rare good story amid an anaemic recovery. But when picking which country to target next, SMEs need to be mindful of banned imports.

International Trade 2 min read

Going global: Which colours can help to win over local customers

As you take your business global, what are the colours you should associate your brand with in order to win over local customers Here are the colours that work well in export countries.