UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is supporting two visits
to central Europe to encourage London companies to consider export
opportunities and diversifying their client base during the current economic
downturn.
As other markets take the brunt of the global financial
crisis, these economies have remained relatively stable and attractive to
foreign trade.
These central European markets each offer stable growing
economies, potential new customers and competitive sources of materials and
labour.
Dates for market visits are:
·
Poland (Krakow) and Czech Republic (Prague): ·
January 19 to 23, 2009. ·
Illustrative cost: £849 (flights & hotel)
£250 admin fee. Total £1,099
·
A £200 UKTI grant is available to eligible
participating companies. ·
Closing date for expressions of interest: December
1, 2008.
And
·
Bulgaria (Sofia)
·
February 10 to 12, 2009.
·
Illustrative cost: £400 (flights & hotel) +
£150 admin fee. Total £550
·
A £200 UKTI grant is available to eligible
participating companies.
·
Closing date for expressions of interest: December
19, 2008
The Think Europe programme is being coordinated on behalf of
UKTI by City Sense Ltd & South London Export Club.
The arranged programmes include country briefings by the
British Embassy team, business receptions and a business drop-in sessions as well as meetings with influential local business organisations.
There is time in both programmes for personal business
meetings and research in the markets.
Delegates will be accompanied and supported by the Think
Europe International Team prior to and throughout the visits.
·
Bryan Treherne – (UKTI International Trade
Adviser & Member of the national executive of the Institute of Export);
·
Helen Mason – Think Europe programme manager, City
Sense Ltd; and
·
Neil McAllister – South London Export Club
CHURCH TIMES: Wawel Cathedral in Krakow (pictured above right) is built on a hill above the cave where legendry ruler Krakus is said to have slain a ravenous dragon, Smok Wawelski.
BULGARIA is still a good place to do business, according to
South London Export Club.
Despite a recent decision by the European Commission to
withhold millions of euros in accession grants from the former Communist Bloc
state, the club plans to play a major role in a forthcoming official trade
visit.
The visit in March 2009 will be Neil McAllister’s fourth to
the country in less than two years, so he has gained an insight into the way
things work there.
He said: “In essence, the recent Commission decision is
about a pre-accession term that requires Bulgaria to act on corruption and
organised crime in the period following its accession to the European Union.
“Clearly the new state has made insufficient progress, so
the Commission is suspending payment of €486m out of the €1.1bn payable from 2007
to 2013.
“But the Bulgarian government agencies responsible for
handling this money have until November to reform sufficiently, regain
accreditation and by so doing to recover access to the accession funds.
“The suspension should not affect the creative and
environmental sectors that form our March visit as we are likely to be
aiming at low value, low volume orders in the overall scheme of the Bulgarian economy.”
In his previous three visits Neil has not been aware of any
corrupt practice. On the contrary, he insists, there has been a genuine willingness
to engage with UK firms.
The British Embassy in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital,
confirms Neil’s impressions.
It said: “The Commission's decision only concerns funding
under the pre-accession programmes most of which is to be used by November
2008.
“It does not affect the funding under the EU Structural
funds and the Cohesion fund, which amounts to €1.1 billion.”
The Trade Visit
will be part of a pan -London export
initiative to central and eastern Europe, supported by UK Trade and
Investment, which also includes visits to the Czech Republic and Poland.
For details of this and the other trade visits in the programme please click here
Our picture, by Gareth Curtis, shows Neil McAllister, the club's expert on Bulgaria, who will accompany the trade visit.
PLANS are afoot for a further south London trade mission to
South Africa from March 7 to 14, despite reports of violence coming out of the
country.
Bryan Treherne, chairman of SLEC, has been involved with
four missions to the Republic in the past five years and he thinks the current
wave of unrest has to be seen in context and in the light of the business
opportunities there.
He said: “No sensible person would ever lead a group of would-be
traders into danger, but that isn’t what we’re talking about here.
“Every time I go to South Africa we visit at least one
township and neither I nor anyone who has come with me has ever felt
threatened. I wish I could say the same about some parts of London.”
The violence that erupted recently in Johannesburg is
largely caused by high levels of unemployment and the belief of many indigenous
South Africans that immigrants are taking the few jobs that are available to unskilled workers.
That belief is fuelled by the fact that immigrants are happy
to work for much lower wages than the indigenous population and elements within
the business community are only too pleased to take advantage of the situation
to reduce their overheads.
Some immigrants, like those from Zimbabwe, are fleeing
repressive regimes, but the majority have chosen South Africa for economic
reasons.
The houses in South African townships are mostly brick-built
bungalows, each with its own garden and proper access to electricity, mains
water and sewage.
You will see similar properties on the outskirts of many
British seaside towns.
The Mandela and Tutu families once lived in such
accommodation in the Soweto area of Johannesburg.
South Africa is pleased to
show their homes to the world as part of the country’s Rainbow Nation tourist trail.
Recent additions to the housing stock include small blocks of flats, which the government is building in an attempt to house even more families in modern accommodation.
By contrast, recent immigrants cluster in shanty hovels at
the edges of townships – the best of these dwellings are made from corrugated
tin, others from wooden or even cardboard packing cases.
A shack beside an open sewer on the outskirts of a township
with access to drinking water from a nearby standpipe may not sound very
attractive – but it is a huge improvement on the conditions some immigrants have
had to endure at home.
And the wages they can earn – meagre by South African
standards – are life-sustaining for them and their families.
The South African government euphemistically refers to these
immigrant clusters as ‘informal settlements’ – it is embarrassed by their presence and
does its best to re-house inhabitants quickly. But as fast
as it does so, others arrive to take their places.
Bryan said: “The townships proper are hives of industry
supporting some innovative ideas for creating new jobs. I have visited
workshops for single parents, where mum is taught weaving skills and the
realities of piecework while her child is looked after in a next-door crèche.
“The workshops are modern, clean and comfortable, while the
crèches are the equal of anything you will find in south London.
“And I have eaten in a training restaurant where boys are
taught the essential skills to find work in five-star hotels. The menu may not
be cordon bleu, but the food is wholesome and filling, and the company is
always good.
“It would be a real shame if the actions of a few – however
justifiable – were to spoil the chances of the vast majority who are always
keen to work with international partners for their mutual benefit.”
Please call Bryan Treherne on 07779 717326 for more details
about this year’s South African trade mission or to book your place.
Our pictures (top to bottom) show:
The Hillbrow Communications Tower in central Johannesburg, linking Africa's commercial heart with the rest of the world.
A new housing development in Soweto, Johannesburg's South Western Township, built to the same standards you would expect to find in any European city.
One of the 'informal settlements' that the South African government is doing its best to eradicate by re-housing the residents as quickly as possible.
For details of the likely trade mission destinations in South Africa - Durban and Johannesburg - please click here.
BRYAN TREHERNE has been
recognised at the highest level for his work with existing and potential international
traders.
The chairman of South London
Export Club receives an MBE in Britain’s 2008 New Year’s Honours List.
A delighted Bryan said: “It
came as a complete surprise when the letter arrived, towards the end of
November.
“In fact, it was so unexpected
that I almost threw it away unopened, thinking it was just another government
circular.”
Bryan was nominated for the
award by senior colleagues at UK Trade and Investment - the government
organisation that supports British business overseas - with whom he works three days a
week.
The citation tells of Bryan’s
unstinting support for existing and would-be overseas traders in south London -
particularly those in the Croydon area.
It also notes the crucial
advice he gave to Croydon Council in its successful bid for a multi-million
pound grant from the British government’s Local Enterprise Growth Initiative
(LEGI).
In the past 12 months, as well
as organising the export club and advising individuals and firms about doing
business abroad, Bryan has led successful trade missions to France, Holland,
Hungary and South Africa. In 2008 he will be taking
missioners to Bulgaria and the Caribbean, among other places.
Bryan’s family is equally
pleased with the award. He said: “My wife Betty sees it as compensation for the
weeks I spend overseas and all those evening meetings.
“She’s looking forward to a
buying a new outfit for the investiture at Buckingham Palace later in the
year.”
Bryan’s contacts around the
world have been keen to respond to his award with e-mails and phone calls of
congratulation - including those from senior staff at the British High
Commissions in Bridgetown, Barbados and Cape Town, South Africa.
Fellow MBEs among his
impressive list of business contacts have been equally eager to welcome him to
their exclusive club.
But Bryan does not intend to
use his title in commerce. He said: “When I ran my own company I never had
managing director on my business cards.
“I prefer to sell myself in
person rather than raising expectations in advance. I see putting MBE behind my
name in the same way, but I am very proud of my award.
“I enjoy helping businesses to
succeed and I intend to go on doing so. I believe that encouraging them to
trade internationally helps to strengthen the whole commercial operation at
home and overseas.”
Bryan citation also refers to his record of community service, which includes helping to run an inner London scout troupe for more than 40 years; serving on the finance committee of South London YMCA for the past six years; and being a director of Croydon Education Business Partnership for the past two years.
And it highlights his work with colleges in France, Germany and Holland to bring students to Britain and give them experience of international trade as the basis of substantial study projects.
Bryan is pictured with an award he won from UK Trade and Investment in 2007 for his work with international traders.
SLEC is sponsored by HSBC - the world's local bank
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is supporting two visits
to central Europe to encourage London companies to consider export
opportunities and diversifying their client base during the current economic
downturn.
BULGARIA is still a good place to do business, according to
South London Export Club.
PLANS are afoot for a further south London trade mission to
South Africa from March 7 to 14, despite reports of violence coming out of the
country.
The houses in South African townships are mostly brick-built
bungalows, each with its own garden and proper access to electricity, mains
water and sewage. 
By contrast, recent immigrants cluster in shanty hovels at
the edges of townships – the best of these dwellings are made from corrugated
tin, others from wooden or even cardboard packing cases.
BRYAN TREHERNE has been
recognised at the highest level for his work with existing and potential international
traders.