Talk Business Magazine September 2014

NEWS Latest stories NEWS The American dream The US tops the export destination list for UK SMEs T he United States is the number one export destination for UK SMEs, according to new research from Barclays Business, with more than half of SMEs (55%) selling goods and services overseas, targeting the US. France and Germany followed behind the US, with 53% and 51% of UK SMEs exporting to these countries respectively. While the top ten export countries are dominated by Britain’s European neighbours, Canada (7th) and Australia (10th) also feature on the UK’s top ten SME export map in the Barclays research. Overall, Europe is the most popular continent UK SMEs export to, followed by North America. Asia and the Middle East are joint third placed, while Oceania, Africa and Latin America appear at the bottom of the export list. Steve Childs, head of international at Barclays Business commented: “Thinking about spreading your business’s wings to explore overseas trading opportunities can seem a daunting task on top of the usual day-to-day responsibilities involved with running a business, but the case for exporting is strong. It is important to remember that there are a lot of resources that SMEs can access in the early stages to help on their international journey.” One in five of the UK SMEs surveyed who do not currently export (22%), have plans to do so in the future, and one in seven (15%) are looking at doing so in the next two years. DATES FOR THE DIARY Sterling Integrity 11th September The Future Inn Hotel Bristol, BS1 3EN 25th September Worcester Cricket Ground WR2 4QQ www.sterlingintegrity.co.uk Business Junction Networking Events 04 September 2014 The Casino at the Empire 5-6 Leicester Square London, WC2H 7NA 10 September 2014 Merchant Taylors’ Hall 30 Threadneedle Street London, EC2R 8JB 18 September 2014 Henry’s Cafe Bar 5-6 Henrietta Street Covent Garden London, WC2E 8PS 24 September 2014 The University Women’s Club 2 Audley Square London, W1K 1DB 25 September 2014 Obika Charlotte Street 11-13 Charlotte Street London, W1T 1RH www.businessjunction.co.uk Online Retail conferences 16th September Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington www.orevents.com eCommerce Expo 1-2 October Olympia, London www.ecommerceexpo.co.uk Successful Selling Expo 16th October RICOH, Coventry www.sales-expo.co.uk IP Expo 8-9 October Excel, London http://www.ipexpo.co.uk South West Business expo 18th September The Steam Museum, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon www.southwestexpo.co.uk 18 September 2014 OPENER_TB36_news_17.ga.indd 18 29/08/2014 15:23

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