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EMMA JONES

AUTHOR & FOUNDER OF ENTERPRISE NATION

BECKHAM BACKS ‘GREAT’ CAMPAIGN AS FASHION STARS UNVEIL SUBWAY

Victoria Beckham is to act as an international ambassador for the GREAT Britain campaign, helping to promote the best of Britain around the world. Announced during New York Fashion Week, Beckham’s involvement was revealed at a photo shoot for the launch of a GREAT-branded subway train at New York’s Grand Central Station. As a GREAT ambassador, Beckham will shoot a short fi lm in support of the initiative, which will also feature one of her designs. Her ready-to-wear collection is handmade in the UK and stocked in more than 300 retail stores around the world. An esteemed group of fashion industry insiders also lent their support to the launch, including Hamish Bowles, international editor-at-large of Vogue; Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa; Jourdan Dunn, British supermodel; Karen Elson, British supermodel and singer- songwriter; Tamara Mellon OBE; David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of rag & bone; and Anna Wintour OBE, editor-in-chief of Vogue. Patrick Demarchelier photographed the event. “We have some incredible British fashion talent to be proud of,” said Jeremy Hunt, British Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media

SOURCE: UK TRADE & INVESTMENT MSBs ACCOUNT FOR ONE-FIFTH

OF THE UK’S PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYMENT AND TURNOVER

IN APRIL, A TRADE MISSION TO TURKEY WILL

FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR MSBs IN THE EMERGING MARKET

and Sport. “From royal wedding dress designer Sarah Burton to GREAT ambassador Victoria Beckham, British designers are among the best in the world. There are British editors heading up some of the top fashion magazines and their pages are fi lled with British supermodels.” British fashion is a large contributor to the UK’s tourism industry, which is the country’s third-largest earner of foreign exchange. “The US is our most important market in terms of visitor spend, with both shopping and fashion ranking high among Americans’ interests when they visit Britain,” said Sandie Dawe, chief executive of VisitBritain. Designed to showcase the UK as a world class destination for business, investment and tourism, the GREAT campaign is part of the UK Government’s drive to make the most of the country being in the world spotlight this year, with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Delivered by UK Trade & Investment, VisitBritain, the British Council and Foreign Commonwealth Offi ce, the GREAT campaign is being rolled out across 17 cities in the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, France, Germany, Australia and Brazil.

In October 2011, HSBC’s Trade Forecast predicted world trade will grow by 73 per cent in the next 15 years, with Egypt, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Brazil set to be the international powerhouses driving growth. These countries are not natural trading partners for the UK; the European Union remains the largest recipient of exports from the UK, accounting for 48 per cent in 2009. The Government has recognised the need to look further afi eld, with the Prime Minister urging UK businesses to seek out opportunities “in huge modern cities from Bogota to Istanbul, where people are hungry for the skills and services Britain is best at.” Trading platforms such as Alibaba, Elance and Etsy.com offer access to vibrant markets across the globe and should be embraced by UK exporters looking for the next big growth area.

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