Bibby’s have recently teamed up with International Trade Matters Ltd to gauge the aspirations of South West businesses for future international trade through a series of Blue Sky dinners.
Leaders across sectors and industry were invited to a select evening in Taunton to discuss what the future could or should look like for the region and beyond.
With representation from Granny Gothard’s, SWMAS, Anew Southwest, Dashboard, Mulberry’s, GP Logistics and Devon Chamber, a mixture of pragmatism, reality and optimism was expressed and shared. Views and opinions were varied on the current situation for business growth and development, switching from despondency and frustration to pockets of excellence and growth.
Piers Corfield from Dashboard shared that he is immensely proud of Britain yet frustrated that we are not putting the great back into Britain at precisely the moment in our history when we should be effectively putting our economy on an (economic) war footing. Poor leadership, lack of ambition, self-interest, short sightedness, complacency and greed have all undermined the UK whilst France/Germany have embraced a far more intelligent (and integrated) approach to their benefit.
Collectively the group felt that the UK has a great reputation across the world for our heritage, our innovation and the quality of our goods yet that perception is not always mirrored in how we think about ourselves as traders. We need to focus on developing an energy built on the foundation of encouragement and making people feel valued, creating teams through motivation. We need to instill in our children and their teachers the wider career options that are available through a greater integration between business and education.
The discussion turned to the changes that Brexit will bring with increased regulations and compliance through the simple fact that the UK will be exporting to the EU and not selling which it has done for the past 40 years or so. Challenges with customs procedures could bring the country to a trading standstill if HMRC is not equipped to deal with first time exporters.
The final agreement was focused on the need for a 25 year plan to build on current strengths, to develop the young generations with help from the older and be the country that others think we already are!
Interested in export?
At International Trade Matters we offer an unparalleled knowledge of local, regional & international contacts and networks, an in-depth knowledge of international trade documentary & legal requirements. Our aim is to match aspirations of growth through to success for every company we work for. If you would like to know more about export opportunities for your business, contact us today to see how we can help.