Topics

Moving goods around the world
Exporting can be a daunting prospect, but in a world of international trade, businesses across the UK are starting to harness the potential of overseas markets. An essential part of this is about getting your goods to your customers in a way that suits you and them; should you use a freight carrier, or an express parcels courier? What about tracking, speed and proof of delivery? Air, sea or road? What do I need to know about HM Customs procedures and the variety of export documentation? Basically, how on earth do I just get my products to market overseas?

China
China – with an economy growing at 8% annually and a current GDP of £650bn, this is a country to which the UK exports £1.9bn worth of goods and services every year. It represents a massive opportunity for UK exporters. A business thinking about exporting to China needs to understand how to go about this – what are the opportunity markets? How do I start targeting China as an export destination? What about Hong Kong? And what are the “do’s and don’ts” of Chinese business?

EU expansion
1st May 2004. A date that slipped by in many people’s minds, but one that UK businesses should not ignore. The enlarged EU with 25 member states has a staggering 450m consumers – making it the largest single free market in the world. UK businesses should pick up an estimated £1.76bn of additional export opportunity to the new 10 countries; it is just a matter of looking in the right place. What does this expansion mean? What are the opportunity markets and how do I access them?

Marketing your company overseas
The Internet has made the world a smaller place, and has opened the door for many exporters to sell their products and services overseas. However, research recently commissioned by Parcelforce Worldwide showed that around 65% of UK businesses fall into exporting accidentally through a one off order or such like, rather than actively targeting overseas markets. What are the main marketing channels and opportunities? What about exhibitions? How do I deal language barriers? How do I decide which markets to approach?