International Trade
International Trade A trade visit from South Africa
Helping companies exploit overseas trade opportunities By Fred Bromwich
Further opportunities for UK exporters to increase their share of trade with the key emerging market of South Africa are expected to open up as Chamber representatives aim to continue trade discussions with South African High Commission in London. The anticipated talks follow on from a visit by a South African trade deputation to GBCC headquarters, where they were briefed by Russell Jeans, director of business services, and Mark Sankey, who heads up the UKTI team based at Birmingham Chamber. To date, annual bilateral trade between the UK
and South Africa is worth just under £10 billion with top UK exports including road vehicles, beverages, medical and pharmaceutical products and non-metallic mineral manufactures. But it is anticipated that UK exporters will be
given a boost in the wake of the discussions held in Birmingham when it was agreed that information received from South Africa House about trade opportunities would be shared with business in the Birmingham area. Birmingham Chamber and UKTI last led a multi-
sector trade mission to Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2008. Next month UKTI will spearhead a trade mission to coincide with Africa Health, a
The South African trade delagation to GBCC headquarters
‘Our talks were very productive, clearly demonstrating synergies between South Africa and the West Midlands region’
three-day exhibition in Johannesburg. Commenting on the visit of the South Africa
High Commission to Birmingham, which was headed by His Excellency Obed Mlaba, Mark said: ”Our talks were very productive, clearly
Toys fair was child’s play Overseas business is blooming
Business at the world’s biggest toys fair proved child’s play for Birmingham rocker turned entrepreneur Chris Poole – with up to £1 million of orders for musical instruments with a difference. Chris, who fronts rock showband The Shades
when he is not running his business empire in Birmingham, jetted over to the Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg to showcase his products – and was bowled over by the reaction. The 31-year-old, a director of Moseley-based
Shades CP Ltd, clocked up between £500,000 and £1 million worth of orders for his firm’s musical instruments for youngsters – and paid glowing tribute to UKTI for its assistance. The winter 2016 show attracted more than
70,000 trade buyers from across the globe – with Shades CP Ltd flying the flag for Birmingham business in highly profitable style. Chris has enjoyed a colourful business
journey– with earnings from his long-running successful showband helping launch music tuition outfit Shades Music. He later branched out with Rainbow Colours, a colour-coded learning system which helps teach youngsters how to play musical instruments. Now he is celebrating the firm’s most successful visit to the Nuremberg Toys
24 CHAMBERLINK May 2016 Chris Poole, showcasing Rainbow Colours
Spectacular, and cannot thank UKTI – who work alongside Birmingham Chamber’s Overseas Fairs Division for the annual toy fair – enough for their help. Stuart Whitehill, of Birmingham Chamber’s
Overseas Fairs Division, said: “Every year Nuremberg plays host to the world’s leading trade event for the industry and we are proud that the Birmingham Chamber is at the heart of the UK presence.”
Colourful plant pots created by a Warwickshire firm will be adorning gardens in Africa and continental Europe this summer after its unique designs were snapped up by overseas garden and homeware companies. Over the past year, Hum Partnership, which
is based in Southam, has won, and is in the process of securing, about £50,000 worth of export sales less than two years after the business was set up. As a start-up venture, using innovative
manufacturing techniques, the company set out to make the most of its opportunities. The firm asked for help and advice from UK
Trade & Investment (UKTI) West Midlands when it attended a Start Up Global event two years ago as part of Export Week. Retailers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Belgium and Nigeria were so impressed with the plant pots, which are decorated in contemporary designs, that they have snapped them up. Lara Kelly, co-founder of Hum Partnership,
said: “It’s been a real whirlwind these past few months and we are thrilled that our plant pots are not only decorating people’sgardens
Contact: Mark Sankey T: 0121 450 4205
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