Member Article

Helping hand for SMEs to grow their business at Access the Buyer event at Boots HQ

Forty SMEs from around the UK met a specially selected panel of senior buyers from Boots and Burberry at an event in Nottingham organised by charity Business in the Community.

The Access the Buyer event at Boots headquarters was timed to coincide with Responsible Business Week, a nationwide campaign dedicated to responsible business involving hundreds of businesses and individuals across the UK.

SMEs, which account for 99 per cent of businesses in the UK, have a critical role to play in supporting economic drive and employment recovery. Yet many SMEs struggle to supply their products and services to large businesses, impacting their ability to grow and create jobs.

The Access the Buyer programme from Business in the Community and Santander, aims to address this by offering SMEs free practical support to help them break into and access the often complicated procurement process and supply chains of large companies. Each Access the Buyer event is tailored to a specific sector, enabling the participants to gain bespoke advice and practical insight into how to identify large business contract opportunities, win contracts, and crucially how to deliver against contracts to ensure business growth. SMEs can also showcase how their business can provide innovative products and services to larger corporates.

Liz Needleman, Area Director – England East at Business in the Community said: “Access the Buyer gives SMEs across the UK practical insight into the trading opportunities with larger businesses. Since the beginning of the recession, nine out of ten unemployed people who found work in the private sector found it in an SME – so we know they are a key contributor to economic growth. Responsible Business Week aims to inspire, equip and challenge businesses to do more to meet society’s most pressing needs – so it is fitting that this Access the Buyer event to help SMEs flourish and create employment took place during the week.”

To find out more about Responsible Business Week visit www.bitc.org.uk/rbweek or search for the hashtag #RBWeek. Responsible Business Week is convened by Business in the Community, in partnership with Veolia Environnement and the Telegraph Media Group.

To find out more about Business in the Community’s Access the Buyer programme visit http://www.bitc.org.uk/accessthebuyer.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Business In the Community .