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arabexportpromotion

Locating Potential Importers in the UK

Without properly targeted research even the most competitive product will not sell. It is extremely important to make sure that the UK importers already dealing in products of the type you manufacture know about you.

There are a number of ways of doing this: advertising in relevant trade magazines may be effective, but can be expensive and does not always reach the right target audience.  Researching a list of likely customers and writing direct to companies is the most obvious way to contact potential customers.  Trade directories such as Kompass and Kelly's list some companies trading in specific products, although Kompass and Kelly's are generally more useful if you are trying to find manufacturers.  These directories can also be accessed online (see Useful Addresses).  If you have a clear idea about which manufacturers may be the end users of your product, it may be possible to contact them directly.  Details of UK-based organisations importing and exporting worldwide, can be purchased via a service called International Trade Lists (see Useful Addresses).

Trade Associations and other sources

Trade associations can also be contacted: the Fresh Produce Consortium is a useful point of contact to locate fruit and vegetable importers (see Useful Addresses).  For a small fee this organisation will circulate details to those of its members who are in the wholesale fruit and vegetable trade.

Other sectors such as plastics and textiles will also have specialist trade associations that may provide a useful point of contact.  A good reference for these types of organisation is the Directory of British Associations (see Useful Addresses).  If you have trouble finding these organisations, the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce will be able to help.  The Chamber will also happily publish details of potential Arab exporters in its weekly bulletin, Arab-British Business.

There are several other directories that are useful points of reference.  For food products, The Grocer Directory of Manufacturers and Suppliers and The Grocer Directory of Manufacturers and Suppliers Europe list food and drink manufacturers, wholesalers, importers and exporters, suppliers, brokers and associations and organisations.  The Grocer Food Manufacture Directory is a guide to the food manufacturing services industry that lists over 6,000 companies in the food and drink ingredients, packaging materials and processing equipment sectors.  For garments, accessories and household goods, the Retail Directory of the UK and the Retail Directory of Europe, which list contact details for shops, department stores and retail chains, can help when putting together a list of buyers from major store groups.  For details of all these publications see Useful Addresses.  In fact, there are many trade directories published in the United Kingdom, and the Arab Export Promotion Centre of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce endeavours to hold the relevant books.

Relevant exhibitions and conferences can also be a useful way of making contact with British importers.  Exhibiting can be a time-consuming and expensive business and you should always check the credentials of the exhibition organiser before paying any money.  Lists of forthcoming exhibitions are published in the Chamber?s weekly bulletin, Arab-British Business,  but for more extensive details of exhibitions in the UK, Europe and the Rest of the World, the Exhibition Bulletin is the best reference (see Useful Addresses).

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