Member Article

Sheffield Council aims to get 860 businesses exporting internationally

Sheffield Council is launching a new International Trade and Export Strategy to drive up the export performance of businesses in Sheffield and the City Region.

SMEs make up the majority of businesses and contribute around half of the employment and turnover according to the council, and boosting exports is seen as a strong route towards increased private sector growth in the city.

The strategy looks to boost the competitiveness and productivity of the city’s economy to achieve stronger, more sustainable economic growth. By 2020, the strategy aims to assist:

• 3000 Sheffield City Region businesses to develop their export potential
• 860 Sheffield businesses to begin exporting for the first time, and
• 360 experienced Sheffield exporters to exploit new markets

UKTI research has found that 59% of UK companies found that overseas business led to fresh ideas and innovation

They also found that 44% of firms reported a link between exporting and increased turnover in 2011 and 44% of firms said exporting significantly improved their profile and credibility. According to their report, it is over 11% more likely that a UK company will survive if it does business overseas

Councillor Leigh Bramall, cabinet member for business, skills and development at Sheffield City Council said: “The city needs to do all that it can to support our businesses with growth potential to export their products.

“This includes helping more of our businesses that are not exporting to do so as well as helping those that currently export to look to growing markets for new business opportunities.

“By harnessing export opportunities, the private sector can help stimulate growth in the local economy, leading to more jobs and opportunities for local people.”

William Beckett, chairman of the South Yorkshire International Trade Forum said: “We have been working closely together in partnership over the past few months to develop these proposals and we strongly believe that the export and trade interventions set out in the Plan will achieve a significant step change in the City Region’s export performance, contributing towards the UK export targets and helping to eliminate the trade deficit.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .