Royal Mail joins UK government’s Exporting is GREAT campaign

Royal Mail Group has joined the UK Government’s Exporting is GREAT campaign, which aims to help UK SMEs “harness the power of exporting and reach new international markets”. Royal Mail and the UK Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the partnership at the launch of the campaign in Gateshead.

Exporting is GREAT (www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk) is aiming to “inspire and support 100,000 additional UK exporters to sell their goods and services overseas by 2020”.

Royal Mail said that it will support the campaign by delivering “services, toolkits and research designed to make international trade less daunting and help businesses breakdown international barriers”.

To coincide with the Exporting is GREAT kick-off, Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide have today (9 November) launching dedicated exports websites, www.royalmail.com/export and www.parcelforce.com/export.

Lord Maude of Horsham, the Minister for Trade and Investment, commented: “I’m delighted that the Royal Mail will be partnering with us to extend and sustain the campaign’s reach and provide support to businesses to boost their capability and help them successfully access international markets.”

Moya Greene, CEO of Royal Mail Group, added: “Royal Mail Group wholeheartedly supports the Government’s campaign to drive British companies to export. Royal Mail is uniquely placed to help the UK Government to meet its stretching 2020 targets. We help SMEs’ products and brands reach virtually every address in the world.

“We are responsible for a carrying a significant volume of Britain’s total export parcels, already handling millions of international parcels every year. As the UK Universal Service Provider, we are connected to postal networks across the globe and can deliver to 99.6 per cent of the world’s population.

“Royal Mail Group is working closely with the UK Government to encourage and nurture small and medium sized businesses to begin exporting their products. We are developing our own products and services to further meet the needs of existing and potential UK exporters; and provide expert advice on the logistics of exporting.”

One of the international markets which the UK government is particularly keen to see its SME exporters crack is China. Last month, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron made Jack Ma, the founder and executive chairman of China’s online retail giant Alibaba, a member of his Business Advisory Group. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office said that Ma will “provide particular help and advice on how to get small and medium-sized British businesses boosting their exports and in particular accessing Chinese markets through platforms like Alibaba.”

* The launch in Gateshead was one of a series of “Export Week” events taking place in the UK over the next five days. Visit the www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk website for more information.