Gatwick Airport announces winners of international trade fair competition

• Competition designed to help local SMEs to grow internationally
• Small businesses from Crawley, Horley and Croydon being flown to trade fairs in Las Vegas, Shanghai and Amsterdam
• Winners also receiving support from the Department of International Trade

LONDON, UK, 2019-Jul-24 — /Travel PR News/ — Small businesses from Crawley, Horley and Croydon have won the opportunity to attend international trade shows – in Las Vegas, Shanghai and Amsterdam – after winning a competition held by Gatwick Airport, in partnership with the Department for International Trade.

The three winners are;

• Kikka Digga – a Sussex-based firm that manufactures an innovative labour-saving attachment that takes the hard work out of digging by attaching a clever foot plate lever system to the shaft of existing spades or forks – removing the need for bending or lifting.  Attending the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas.
• United Minibuses and Coaches Limited – an award-winning Horley-based business that is revolutionising the UK coach and minibus industry by being the first to offer ‘Uber-style’ instant pricing and booking technology which – among other services – has been used by airlines to bus passengers following flight delays and cancellations. Attending the Technology Entrepreneurship trade fair in Shanghai
• Shaking Hands – is a Croydon born business partnership shaking up the business to business networking scene. Through a comprehensive online platform showcasing local events, businesses, categorised news and more; off-the wall in person networking events and ongoing digital support – Businesses based both in and out of Croydon become better connected to relevant contacts, share expertise, minimise overheads &/or optimise the smooth-running of their business.  Attending the GreenTech trade fair in Amsterdam.

The competition is designed to help local SMEs grow internationally and was launched in recognition of the role the airport plays generating international trade – with £7.5 billion of international goods passing through in trade shown to support 113,800 UK jobs – many of them based locally.

Businesses in the Gatwick Diamond area are 50% more likely to export than those in other parts of the UK, and the competition winners will be helped to take advantage of a range of international trade opportunities after receiving £2,000 from Gatwick toward flights, hotels and trade show entry costs for their chosen international trade exhibition.

The partnership with Department for International Trade means that the winners will also receive a range of support including information on international business opportunities and one-on-one meetings with experienced International Trade Advisers (ITAs).

Tim Norwood, Corporate Affairs, Planning and Sustainability Director, Gatwick Airport said; “Gatwick helps to drive the region’s economy through its supply chains and by enabling trade and business investment through the global connections it offers. We recognise however that small businesses are also vital for our local economy and face a range of challenges. By helping the winning firms attend international trade fairs, we hope they will discover new opportunities that can help them develop and grow.

“We are grateful for the Department of International Trade for the support and expertise that they will provide each business before they depart.

Ben Raby, Head of Region – South East at the department of International Trade, said:

“We are proud to be partnering with Gatwick on such a great initiative, allowing us to help these innovative businesses to explore new international markets and inspire other companies in the Gatwick Diamond area to consider exporting.

“It is the ideal time for businesses in the region to start thinking globally as recent HMRC statistics show that goods exports from the South East totalled £47.6 billion for the year ending March 2019 – a 4.8% increase on the previous year.

“Our International Trade Advisers will be on hand to help navigate the whole exporting process and provide the businesses with support and tailored advice.

“Congratulations to the winners, and I look forward to seeing how this initiative translates into real export opportunities and future global success for these companies.”

Kikka Digga company founder, Nick Skaliotis, said: “We manufacture in Sussex and attending the trade show will help springboard Kikka Digga as a British brand to the world.  This trip will help Kikka Digga obtain the exposure it requires to boost and educate the world about this product’s proven ergonomic benefits.”

Mumtaz Rasool,  Managing Director, United Minibuses and Coaches Limited, said: “We plan to use our trip to the Technology Entrepreneurship trade fair in Singapore to let suppliers and customers around the world know about our live pricing and tracking technology, which is revolutionary to the UK coach and minibus industry. With our business premises near to Gatwick, we are well placed to help meet international visitors as they arrive and make sure they make the most of their visit to the UK.”

Robert O’Sullivan, Director, Shaking Hands, said: “It’s our business to broker introductions and provide innovative, engaging & exciting environments to network; creating opportunities for our business community in and around Croydon to meet, mix and thrive. It’s vitally important for Shaking Hands to constantly meet fresh, new, innovative companies, no matter what their industry or location. Visiting the Greentech trade fair is a fantastic opportunity for us to seek new links for the numerous Croydon supply chains that we are involved in as well as keeping up with the latest industry trends, innovations and automations.”

Businesses looking for support should call 0330 300 0012 or email info@tradesoutheast.com. They can also visit great.gov.uk which has information on live export opportunities and includes general information on exporting and events.

Businesses in the Gatwick Diamond area are 50% more likely to export than those in other parts of the UK, according to Oxford Economics.

Oxford Economics also found that Gatwick was an important enabler of trade with £7.5 billion of international goods passing through Gatwick in 2017 in business that supported 113,800 UK jobs. Such trade is enabled directly by the transport of cargo within the belly holds of flights – particularly through the airports 66-strong long-haul route network.

About the Department for International Trade

DIT helps businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade.

We are an international economic department, responsible for:

• supporting and encouraging UK businesses to drive sustainable international growth
• ensuring the UK remains a leading destination for international investment and maintains its number one position for international investment stock in Europe
• opening markets, building a trade framework with new and existing partners which is free and fair
• using trade and investment to underpin the government’s agenda for a Global Britain and its ambitions for prosperity, stability and security worldwide.

Latest statistics from the ONS show UK firms sold more overseas in the 2018/19 financial year, £639.9 billion, than at any time since records began. The UK has now achieved 36 consecutive months of export growth on an annual rolling basis. Separate OECD data shows UK exports grew faster than Germany, France and Italy between 2016 and 2018.

About Gatwick Airport

Gatwick is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 230 destinations in 74 countries for 46 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. Gatwick is also a major economic driver and generates around 85,000 jobs nationally, with 24,000 of these located on the airport.

Since May 2019, a new long-term partnership was formed with VINCI Airports who purchased a 50.01% stake in the airport. This partnership sees Gatwick Airport integrate into the network of VINCI Airports, the leading private airport operator in the world, which manages the development and operation of 46 airports across the globe. Served by around 250 airlines, VINCI Airports’ network handled 240 million passengers in 2018 – including traffic at London Gatwick. VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and operates airports, leveraging its investment capability, international network and know-how to optimise performance of existing airport infrastructure, facility extensions and new-build construction projects.

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which manages the remaining 49.99% interest in Gatwick, is an independent infrastructure investor that makes equity investments in high quality infrastructure assets in the energy, transport and water/waste sectors. GIP has US$56 billion of Assets under Management. Its 18 portfolio companies operate in over 50 countries with circa 54,000 employees and generate annual revenues of circa US$50 billion.

For more information on VINCI Airports please www.vinci-airports.com and for more information on GIP please visit http://global-infra.com.

Media enquiries to:
GATWICK AIRPORT PRESS OFFICE
+ 44 (0) 1293 505000
gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com

Source: GATWICK AIRPORT

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