UK Chambers of Commerce: new strategies to drive businesses’ growth

UK Chambers of Commerce have always given fundamental support to the development of the national economy.

It is a global network, able to offer solutions to guide the growth of companies. In particular, the chambers active at local level are a point of reference for the internationalisation of British businesses.

Their advice helps entrepreneurs and managers to seize new opportunities around the world, creating new valuable relationships.

This represents a real challenge, especially in a still complex business environment: production delays, disruptions in supply chains and labour shortages are pressing issues, even in the UK.

That’s why companies need to update their strategies now and find new ways to catch up. And this applies to those who support their growth, such as Chambers of Commerce.

But what are the solutions available to them? How can these institutions make their activities even more efficient?

The scenario: a fast-changing market

In a fast-changing environment, it is necessary to be prepared to catch new opportunities and solve unexpected problems.

All too often, SMEs – which account for over 99% of the UK market – face huge challenges in this respect.

Last year was pro of this, with inevitable consequences for the UK economy: the uncertainties surrounding Brexit have been compounded by the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, undermining an already fragile balance.

Businesses have had to cope with the lack of raw materials and the boom in their prices, not to mention national lockdowns and the inevitable stops of trade fairs and business trips during 2020. Despite this, SMEs have been able to react: in the previous quarter of 2021, for example, exports to the European Union recovered slightly, although they were below the levels of three years ago, before Brexit and the pandemic.

Slowing down a full recovery is the labour shortage that is afflicting many sectors, preventing them from meeting a demand that is now picking up again. For the large number of companies with an international vocation, it is now necessary to change the way they operate, continuing to look at the opportunities offered by foreign markets.

The agreements in principle being defined with countries such as Australia and New Zealand offer interesting prospects for international trade: an area of expertise in which the Chambers of Commerce have always stood out.

From support in the management of customs

 declarations to training in export strategies, there are many solutions dedicated to companies and their growth abroad. While support with trade documentation represents an excellent service, there are other aspects where the UK Chambers of Commerce can do even better.

The search and selection of qualified business contacts on behalf of companies is for sure one of them.

New tools available to the UK Chambers of Commerce

Every company constantly needs to find partners, suppliers, customers or distributors with whom to grow, both nationally and internationally.

At this moment the need has not diminished, but it has further increased.

And to help businesses accomplish this goal, UK Chambers of Commerce now have effective tools at their disposal such as digital technologies.

Databases, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence algorithms are increasingly important, but too often they are not part of the everyday life of SMEs due to lack of time and resources.

This is why institutions have the opportunity to play their part, offering concrete solutions to help companies find business partners worldwide.

Market analysis is a viable option, and today it is no longer exclusive to big companies.

How? Thanks to digital tools like the ones we have developed at Matchplat, make it possible to get the job done quickly and accurately.

Knowing the right companies to achieve your goals is essential: by offering their members reliable means to carry out such an important activity, we are sure that UK Chambers of Commerce could make their offering even more complete.