Nine International Market Advisers from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have visited Manchester, as part of its mission to work with businesses to grow Northern exports.
The advisers visited Duo UK, packaging manufacturer, consultant and distributor, to discuss the value of export and the role of the DBT in supporting businesses looking to sell to the world. The aim of the DBT’s International Markets Service is to provide in-market support for export-ready SMEs, including market intelligence, sector-specific reports and one-to-one guidance.
Representatives from the International Markets Service team, which operates in all nine of the DBT’s Trade Commissioner regions including China, North America, Africa and Europe, joined Zoe Brimelow, a director at Duo, to talk about the company’s export story and the benefits of working alongside the DBT in relation to international trade. Exporting accounts for around 20% of Duo UK’s business. As a result, the company specifically designed a bag to support brands shipping internationally to help reduce volumetric shipping costs. The award-winning DuoOpticpac mailing bag recently surpassed a record 750 million units.
Zoe, who is also a Department for Business and Trade Export Champion, commented:“Establishing and building strong relationships in key international territories is hugely important when looking to expand overseas. We have worked closely with the DBT in recent years to forge new distribution channels across the world. We were delighted to welcome the team to our Manchester offices to discuss how we can strengthen that relationship and how other homegrown businesses can utilise their overseas on-the-ground support.”
Family-run Duo was established in 1988 and is best-known for developing a range of sustainable and recyclable packaging solutions, which are used by retailers and consumer brands around the world. The company has key distribution locations in the USA, Europe, Australia and China.
Earlier this year, Zoe was one of 12 female business leaders from across the North of England to participate in the first DBT Women’s International Network Trade Mission to the US on Women’s Day.
Organised by the DBT, the Northern Powerhouse Women’s International Networking (WIN) trade mission was part of a pilot programme designed to increase the participation of senior female executives in international trade.
