From software to pork pies – the Australian market beckons

I have just spent a busy three days in the UK’s North West and East Midlands, meeting some 40 companies to promote the opportunities in the Australian market. I gave group presentations in Warrington and Leicester and made a number of visits to individual companies who are beginning to tackle the Australian market.

The range of sectors was very wide. In Altrincham I called on Informed Solutions , a software company who demonstrated some fascinating Geographical Information Systems they’ve developed for various government agencies. And in Southport I visited precision engineering firm Lattimer, who already supply niche manufactured products to the bottle manufacturing industry across Australia.

The famous luxury chocolate manufacturer Thorntons – who doesn’t enjoy a tour of a chocolate factory? – described their growing penetration on the shelves of major Australian retailers, which looks set to expand considerably as they increasingly focus on export markets. Walkers, the UK’s top maker of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies (240 million pies a year) is poised to satisfy the undoubted demand from Australian consumers, as soon as the necessary phyto-sanitary approvals are in place. I undertook to help drive that regulatory process forward.

One of the most fun visits was to recent start-up Field Candy, manufacturer of innovative tents with a range of colourful designs like sheep in fields and wooden sheds. They’ve just got their first order from Harrods, and are already picking up Australian customers through their website, without any marketing there. That seemed to be quite a common phenomenon with a number of companies.

During the visit I gave several interviews to local radio and press. My message was twofold: the scale of the opportunity in the culturally familiar Australian market, with UK exports up 80% over the last 5 years, and the availability of help from UK Trade & Investment who offer a seamless network from their international trade advisers in the English regions through to the local experts in our consulates around Australia. I was pleased to hear very good feedback from those companies who were already using UKTI services.

It was good to meet so many innovative companies and hear about their plans to do business in Australia. I was struck by the growing sense of optimism among the UK business community as the economy returns to sustainable growth.

Watch the High Commissioner’s video blog on his visit.