Central Europe is a big opportunity on our growth agenda. If you are a small or medium-sized company already exporting to our top three EU markets - France, Italy and Germany - then Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary should be on your business development plan too. Today it is easy to get to from many places in the UK– just over two hours by plane. It’s also just as easy to travel round the region.
I am going on my first tour of this exciting region from 3rd to 7th March and I would like to take the opportunity of encouraging you to come with me. We’ll be going to Krakow, Brno, Bratislava and Budapest. You’ll meet potential customers, partners, UKTI representatives and British Chambers across the region – people who want to see your business succeed in this market.
We’ve already got some big players in the region, including AstraZeneca, BP, Bupa and Rolls Royce. Tesco’s got over 1000 stores where you can easily find Patak’s curry sauces and Twinings tea. Scotland’s doing great with its whisky. There’s a boom in quality smoked salmon and in some locations Speckled Hen is proving really popular too. You can’t find much British cheese in Krakow or Brno though. In fact, there’s just not enough British food out here - we need to change that.
Yet what attracts many British firms to the region is the sheer growth potential of these markets. The British brand is well liked and there is a strong demand from local distributors for innovative, added value British products – that’s a good sign! In fact, there are 100m consumers in the region who for the next 15 to 20 years will be chasing quality and value.
One area that is particularly worth highlighting is the region’s supply chain, specifically in the energy, transport, food and drink, manufacturing and healthcare sectors. I would like to see more mid-sized firms doing business there.
Modern e-based sales and distribution networks are well established. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary now have an excellent road network and e-payment systems are well advanced – all signs that there’s going to be a big boom in e-commerce. I am also pleased to see Leicestershire-based Pall-Ex keeping British goods on the move in the region.
But how big do we see growth potential and what are we doing to win more business? We have set a £30 billion target for this region by 2020. That’s double our current performance. If we focus on a regional marketing strategy, which aligns UK business strengths to local market opportunities, we firmly believe we can deliver that. We should keep in mind that the region is about to benefit from a boost of Euro 150 billion in EU funding in the 2014-2020 financial framework, which will enhance prospects in infrastructure, energy and innovation. It might be worth taking a closer look?
To make it easier for British businesses to expand in the region, UKTI has boosted its teams across central Europe. These teams are focused on strategic sector campaigning and supporting UK companies win large project opportunities in these high-growth markets. We have set up a network of private sector led trade teams in the region and have recently opened a British business centre in Poland which is focused on supporting mid-sized businesses access the market quickly.
You can find out more about UKTI support and activities in the region on the UKTI website