Enterprise Ireland Survey Reveals Irish Exporters Remain Optimistic About the UK Market – 92% See Growth Opportunities Post-Brexit
A survey conducted by Enterprise Ireland of client companies exporting to the UK has revealed that 92% see opportunities for growth in the United Kingdom post-Brexit. The survey, conducted as part of the Agency’s new ‘Evolve UK’ initiative, has shown that Irish exporting companies are bullish about their future UK exports and growth prospects. Of those surveyed, 64% said they are optimistic about their UK exports in 2020 and 2021, with only 6% pessimistic.
As the future trading relationship with the UK takes shape, Evolve UK has been launched by Enterprise Ireland to provide strategic intelligence and counsel to companies exporting to the UK. As part of the initiative, the Enterprise Ireland UK team will be delivering a programme of webinars, events, exporter guides and reports that detail market opportunities and changes.
Commenting on the Evolve UK initiative, Deirdre McPartlin (pictured), UK Manager, Enterprise Ireland, said: “As the nature of the future relationship takes shape and the regulatory and investment direction of the UK Government emerges, Irish exporters are seeking to react with agility and respond to the associated changes in this evolving UK market. They are also alert to the fact that change, brings opportunity as well as challenges.”
With a view to consolidating and growing Irish exports to the UK which stood at €7.8 billion in 2018 and extending the footprint to new growth regions within the market, in 2019, Enterprise Ireland opened a new office in Manchester. Across Enterprise Ireland’s London and Manchester offices, Enterprise Ireland’s market experts provide support to Irish exporters entering, scaling and diversifying within the market.
“Our role in Enterprise Ireland in the UK is to ensure that the intelligence gained on the ground by our sector experts is shared in a timely way so that existing and new exporters can be confident that with the right approach and market insights, they will be successful. Recently, we held our first UK Local Authority Forum which gave our client companies direct access to UK local authorities and presented the opportunities within this sector which has a combined expenditure budget of £100 billion last year.”
“By combining our customs and other Brexit supports with market insights, the team in London and Manchester remains a committed partner for our clients to navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” Deirdre McPartlin concluded.
