Department for Business and Trade

With a global commercial reach that extends into over 100 countries, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the Government department that supports UK businesses export and grow into global markets.

DBT support and services are available to businesses of any size or level of export experience.

Locally the Department for Business and Trade team organise events, master-classes and clinics across the region and have a team of experienced Trade Advisers providing free, impartial and confidential export advice and guidance. They will help you on your export journey and be able to signpost you to the most appropriate DBT services. Here in the East Midlands we have a team of 22 covering the North and South of the region, businesses are allocated the best adviser depending on their location.

There is also a team of specialist advisers with particular responsibility for a key sector. These cover Transport Equipment & Advanced Manufacturing; Construction & Environmental Technologies; Food & Drink; Biotechnology & Healthcare; High Performance Technology as sectors backed up by two “topic” specialists who lead on eCommerce and Market Research as fundamentals of exporting.

Exporting, What’s in it for me?

You’re right to ask, especially as international trade may be at the forefront of your mind given the EU Transition. Every company’s experience of exporting is different. But the good news is that, whatever your size, the rewards from selling your products and services overseas can be huge.

The benefits of selling internationally can include:

1. More Customers: Tapping into a global demand

2. Increased Profitability: Trading overseas can often drive higher profit margins

3. Faster Growth: Selling overseas could help your business grow at a faster rate

4. Innovation: Working in more than one country can help drive new ideas

5. More Resilient: Spreading risk can help manage changes in demand or market conditions

Get in Touch

Regardless of your need or location, contact your local DBT team today: 020 4566 5302

For online support visit www.great.gov.uk where you can:

• Find guidance for new, occasional and frequent exporters

• Use the selling online overseas tool to find the best marketplaces to showcase your products online

• Create a business profile, which will allow you to promote your products and services to international buyers and apply for overseas export opportunities for your products or services

• Apply for a trade show access grant to attend an overseas event and discover country export guides to selling overseas

Search for events, trade fairs, missions and webinars relevant to your sector or overseas markets and see upcoming DBT international ministerial.

Export Support Team

If you’re a UK business selling goods or services to Europe, you can contact the UK government export support team by completing the online form.

You can ask any question for your business, including on:

• Exporting to new markets
• Paperwork you need to sell your goods abroad
• Rules for a specific country where you want to sell services

The UK Export Academy

The UK Export Academy offers small and micro-businesses the chance to learn how to sell to customers around the world with confidence.

Structured around up to ten educational webinars, you will learn directly from experts in international trade and graduate from the programme with a completed export action plan, enabling you to take your business direct to international customers. This plan will be the culmination of everything you have learnt on the programme, from online events including; webinars, round tables and mentoring sessions.

Researching Export Markets

Visit great.gov.uk to get guidance on how to research export markets, sign up for seminars and webinars on starting to export or exporting to new markets and to contact your nearest international trade team to get bespoke research.

The Exporting Country Guides provides an overview of economic and industry information, local legal requirements, how to protect your intellectual property and language and cultural issues.

The Government Website provides:

• Guidance on how to check for barriers to trading and investing abroad
• Overseas Business Risk reports on individual territories
• Duties and customs procedures for exporting goods to the rest of the world
• Details of EU wide technical rules or national rules in force if you’re sending goods within the EU