Cambs businesses are among forward thinking companies when it comes to export, say Chamber of Commerce

Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce says that the county’s companies were the first to arrive to take up opportunities despite an announcement by London Mayor Boris Johnson that the UK was “late to the party when it came to exports to China.”

Mr Johnson hit the headlines when he told reporters in China that British companies were being fashionably late to the party with regards to buiness in China.

But figures published by Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce show that the value of the export documents it processed in the three months to September 2013 were up 38.35% compared to the same period the previous year.

This shows that businesses in Cambridgeshire are already recognising the opportunities abroad and exports are growing at a rapid rate, the chamber says.

John Bridge OBE, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, says: “Companies that base themselves in Cambridgeshire often seem to be more innovative and forward-thinking than others across the UK and as a result have always been at the forefront of capitalising on the opportunities offered by the global marketplace.

“We are really excited to find increasing numbers of companies coming to the Chamber for international trade advice, training and export documentation as they take the first steps towards trading overseas.”

Mr Bridge continues: “This just shows that there are opportunities there and the global marketplace is hungry for the goods and services the UK has to offer, we just need to continue to open the doors for companies to take advantage of them.”

The Chamber actively encourages businesses to explore new marketplaces with regular seminars from its International Sector, flying in experts on economies around the world and connecting them with would-be exporters.

The next market on the agenda is Australia and guest speakers will be at a business event at Huntingdon Racecourse on Wednesday 23 October.