By Every mid-sized business in the country will be offered tailored trade advice and an intensive programme of support to help them start exporting or break into new markets, Trade Minister Lord Livingston announced today.
Lord Livingston will personally write to all the region's mid-sized businesses by this summer to ask them if they would like trade support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). Evidence shows that exporters do better with UKTI's help and on average mid-sized businesses can increase their sales by £1.8m.
16.4 per cent of workers in the East Midlands are employed by the region's 500 plus mid-sized businesses.
Mid-sized businesses are vital to the Government's long-term economic plan to reduce the deficit and create more jobs. The CBI estimates that, if they reach their full potential, it would be worth £20 to £50bn to the UK economy. Currently mid-sized businesses make up just 0.5% of all businesses but contribute around a fifth of employment and turnover in the UK.
However only 17% of UK mid-sized businesses generate revenues outside of the EU compared to 25% in Germany and 30% in Italy.
Speaking ahead of the Meet the Mittelstand conference in Staffordshire, which is bringing successful German companies to Britain so UK companies can hear about their strategies for success, Lord Livingston said:
"Mid-sized businesses have the potential to be economic powerhouses for the UK economy, creating jobs and growth for all regions of the UK.
"Their success is dependent on expanding beyond domestic markets so we will be making personal contact with all mid-sized businesses to find out what we can do to help them go up a gear and compete with the best the rest of the world has to offer.
"Businesses excel with UKTI's support and we want to make sure that they are not just trading abroad, but thriving there."
Ian Harrison, Regional Director for UKTI East Midlands, said:
"Exports from the East Midlands continue to be among the fastest growing for the country, up by eight per cent this quarter, with the statistics showing we had reached £15 billion for the year to date.
"As important employers in the region, we want to ensure all our mid-sized businesses are capitalising on the opportunities for growth presented by exporting, and the support we at UKTI can provide: We are here to support every mid-sized company that wants to sell its products and services overseas by providing bespoke trade advice through our locally-based dedicated mid-sized business advisers."
A pilot study is due to start next month in Yorkshire and Humberside and the South East and finish by early Spring, followed by the full national roll out
UKTI market and sector experts are based both in the UK and overseas - across 160 locations in 111 countries.
UKTI is also raising awareness of its services with smaller companies through a new national marketing campaign, Exporting is GREAT, which aims to generate 3,000 appointments for small firms with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) advisers by April 2014 and drive £1.2 billion in export revenue from the leads it generates.
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