Thousands of British firms eager to export

A total of 20,000 British businesses are interested in exporting through the government's Exporting is GREAT website, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) said Monday.

New figures from UKTI show over 20,000 businesses have expressed an interest since last November in exporting through government-brokered opportunities.

The news comes as the government kicks off its Exporting is GREAT Week.

UKTI, the government department leading Exporting is GREAT, said figures demonstrate a huge demand for British products and services overseas.

Over 6,000 export opportunities have been showcased on the exporting campaign site since November 2015, equating to 40 new opportunities every day for British businesses.

A UKTI spokesman said Monday: "Opportunities have come from 109 countries and 44 different sectors."

Trade and investment minister, Lord Price, said: "The government is committed to supporting 100,000 more UK businesses to export by 2020. Exporting is GREAT Week is the perfect time to inspire companies to take advantage of the world of opportunity out there and the global demand for British products, skills and expertise."

The UKTI spokesman added: "Companies are increasingly realizing the benefits of strengthening their overseas business, with new exporters making up nearly a fifth of UKTI customers."

Since November 2015, as part of a year-long roadshow around Britain, the Exporting is GREAT Export Hub has provided close to 3,000 companies with advice and support to grow their business overseas and brought them closer to global export opportunities.

Over the past five years, UK Export Finance, the UK's export credit agency, has provided over 17 billion pounds worth (24.27 billion U.S. dollars) of support to British businesses, helping more than 300 businesses directly and many thousands more indirectly through their supply chains.