North entrepreneurs to bridge Gulf

Oct 17 2007 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

BUSINESSES from the North-East are about to escape the gloomy autumn weather and jet off to sunnier climes in search of lucrative opportunities overseas. UK Trade and Investment will lead an expedition of North-East companies on a trade mission to the desert states of the Gulf.

Among the group of about 15 companies joining the party are representatives from a wide range of sectors, including retail, technology and the arts.

The trip will fly to the bustling metropolis of Dubai, where various deals will be negotiated among the city’s many skyscrapers and the group will then cross borders into the oil-rich state of Qatar and the less developed but emerging Sultanate of Oman.

So what opportunities lie in wait for the region’s delegation? And what are the expectations of the people behind the businesses which have signed up for the trip?

According to the UKTI’s market visit leader Joyce Rawlings, the trip could pave the way for a rapid influx of North-East businesses into the booming Gulf region.

She says the new air link between Newcastle and Dubai will play a pivotal role in boosting trade between the North-East and the Emirates – which is now the UK’s 10th-largest export market, with the value of exports rising 134% last year. She says: “Although the North-East already sells £56m in goods and services into Dubai, that only represents 1% of the total amount sold from the UK, so this leaves a lot of room for exploitation from North-East companies.

“There are also enormous construction projects taking place which offer further opportunities for the region’s businesses.”

We caught up with three businesspeople before they flew to the Gulf to hear their hopes and aspirations for operation Gulf.

See page two to find out what they had to say.