Business News


‘More value must be placed on intermittent exporters’


Intermittent exporters could add an estimated £4.4bn to UK exports a year, according to a new report, ‘The Contribution of Trade to UK Prosperity’, by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking and Aston Business School. The report investigates the close


links between productivity, innovation and international trading. It looks at how an estimated


£4.4bn per year could be added to the value of UK exports if just 10 per cent of intermittent exporters could be encouraged to become continuous exporters.


‘Our new global position outside of the EU opens up a whole new world of opportunities for British businesses trading internationally’


Currently, just 10 per cent of the


UK’s top exporters, known as ‘superstar exporters’, account for 90 per cent of all exports. Superstar exporters tend to be larger, are more capital intensive,


Gwynne Master: Intermittent exporters need help to re-enter markets


have more skills focused and pay higher wages, and are concentrated in the UK’s manufacturing and construction sectors. Intermittent exporters are those


companies who are inclined to dip in and out of exporting and are likely to swap the products they export and the markets they export to. Jun Du, Professor of Economics


at Aston Business School and director of the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Business Prosperity, explained that although the value of superstar exporters is clear, more value must be placed on so-called intermittent exporters.


She said: “The significance of the


UK’s superstar exporters to global trading is clear, but it’s also important to understand the value of intermittent exporters and how they can learn to further serve and contribute to the value chains. Opportunities exist to increase the number of superstars in the future, but productivity will remain key to performance.” Gwynne Master, global head of


Trade for Lloyds Bank, added that more needs to be done to help intermittent exporters re-enter international markets. She said: “Our new global


position outside of the EU opens up a whole new world of opportunities for British businesses trading internationally. However, this sits in parallel to the challenges brought about by new trading regulations and an economy that is expected to be in recovery mode for the majority of 2021 as a result of the global pandemic. “Lloyds Bank has a role to play in bringing these businesses together to not only give them the guidance and capabilities to help them invest in and build their businesses but also so that they can share their lessons for success.”


Productivity campaign goes online


Thought-provoking webinars, training sessions and digital content will be delivered as part of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s (GBCC) annual productivity and leadership campaign, ‘Growth Through People’. This year’s campaign – taking place throughout March


– will culminate in a virtual conference, featuring a roster of leading academic, political and business leaders. Dr Holly Birkett, from Birmingham Business School,


and Miss Macaroon founder Rosie Ginday, and John Whitty, CEO of Air IT will discuss managing beyond the crisis at the conference on 30 March. Dr Birkett is a lecturer and academic researcher in


Organisational Behaviour at Birmingham Business School. Her research interests are around career transitions,


gender in the workplace and family friendly policies. She is a co-director of the Work Inclusivity Research


Centre (WIRC), an associate of the Centre for Responsible Business, co-director of the Equal Parenting Project and a member of the Department of Management. Rosie Ginday is founder and managing director of


community interest company Miss Macaroon, the only patisserie in the world that can pantone colour match macaroons. She trained in professional cookery at University


College Birmingham before taking a job at Michelin- starred Purnell’s in Birmingham City Centre. Miss Macaroon works with organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions, prison probation programmes, care leavers’ services and women’s refuges to recruit trainees.


Thought provoking: Conference speakers Rosie Ginday and Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith


Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith is currently a Non-


Executive Director at the Department for Education and Tideway; senior independent advisor at Mace Group; and chair of the Airport Operators Association. She is a member of the House of Lords Committee


on Democracy and Digital Technologies, and patron of the Employers Forum for Equality and Inclusion. The conference will also feature other inspirational


keynote speakers including Jess Phillips MP and Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, alongside high-profile panellists and practical workshops on topical leadership and people management challenges following the impacts of Brexit and Covid-19. Both the conference and virtual events are free for Chamber members. Conference tickets are £15 for non- members.


BT boost economy by £1.5 billion


Around £1.5bn has been added to the West Midlands economy by the BT Group, a report by Hatch has revealed. The Economic Impact of BT


Group in the UK report, by consultancy firm Hatch, calculated that the communications and technology giant generated more than £24bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy during the last financial year. The report also estimates


that around 21,700 full-time jobs in the West Midlands are supported by BT Group through direct, indirect and induced effects. The firm spent £636m with


suppliers based across the region, including those in the retail, construction and telecommunications industries. BT Group has broadband


and mobile networks spanning from the Scilly Isles to Shetland, built and maintained by some of the 82,800 direct employees it has in the UK.


‘I’m immensely proud of the contribution our colleagues make in supporting the West Midlands economy’


In the West Midlands, the


firm directly employs 5,470 people, with a further 600 employed as contractors. The firm is currently in the


midst moving into a new regional hub at Three Snowhill, Birmingham, and plans to open a new headquarters in London later in the year. New hub locations will also


open in Bristol and Manchester. BT has also unveiled plans


to recruit 51 apprentices and graduates in Birmingham for its September 2021 intake. Wendy Sycamore, BT Group


regional lead for the Midlands, said: “I’m immensely proud of the contribution our colleagues make in supporting the West Midlands economy. Our spending on people, networks and suppliers, provides a vital economic boost. The wider impact of that spending helps to sustain communities and small businesses right across the Midlands.”


March 2021 CHAMBERLINK 15


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