United Kingdom imports and exports – essential information
United Kingdom imports and exports – General information
United Kingdom imports and exports, firstly some background information. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the 5th largest economy is the world. The official language of the country is English and the country has an estimated 2020 population of 67,886,000. Nominal gross domestic product (GDP) for 2019 was estimated at $2.744 trillion with per capita income of $41,030 which is the 20th highest in the world. The currency is the UK pound and the time zone is GMT (Greenwıch Mean Time).
United Kingdom imports and exports – Economy
By sector;
Agriculture – 0.6%
Industry – 19.2%
Services – 80.2%
United Kingdom imports
United Kingdom imports and exports – Main categories
United Kingdom exports by category:
- Machinery including computers
- Vehicles
- Gems and precious metals
- Mineral fuels including oils
- Electrical machinery and equipment
- Pharmaceuticals
- Optical and medical apparatus
- Aircraft and spacecraft
- Organic chemicals
- Arts and antiques
United Kingdom imports by category:
- Electrical machinery
- Mechanical machinery
- Cars
- Manufactured goods
- Pharmaceuticals
- Road vehicles other than cars
- Clothing
- Oil
- Scientific and photographic equipment
Tips for exporting to the United Kingdom:
Following Brexit the UK has been negotiating many new trade deals. Check the status of your countries trade deal with the UK. If there is one in place it will make it easier and cheaper to export to the UK.
ITFBIS or International Trade Fair, Business and Investors Summit is held in London in November, trades shows are a great way to build export sales to the UK.
The United Kingdom is a major importer of commodity foods, so if you are a producer then the UK is a good potential market for you if you can meet quality and price requirements.
Approach UK sales prospects in the correct way. Email has little success now and can cause problems so use social media channels, trade websites, trade shows and good friendly phone calls to build your export sales.
United Kingdom imports and exports – Trade information
Main trade partners are United States, Germany, France, Netherlands, China, Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Switzerland.
The United Kingdom is a member of the WTO and GATT
The United Kingdom is no longer a member of the EU.
Trade volumes for 2019 were;
Export of goods – 367 billion GBP
Import of goods- 542 billion GBP
New export opportunities for United Kingdom companies:
Following Brexit the UK government has been busy negotiating new trade deals with many countries around the world to open up new opportunities for UK businesses. As a result of Brexit it seems certain that the UK will trade less with European Union countries and so has to seek new export markets.
Several excellent trade deals are already in place including those with Australia, Canada, New Zealand Ukraine, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Others are currently under negotiation including the potential game changer with the United States. More information can be found in our article;
United Kingdom imports and exports –Â Business development
Ease of doing business ranking = 8th in the world
International dialing code – +44
Main business domain – .co.uk
Understanding of culture and customs can be key to a successful export strategy. The link below gives some detailed information on United Kingdom culture and customs, what to do & what not to do.
https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/uk-guide
Blackcat360.com business development opportunities
Blackcat360.com provides some very valuable resources that businesses around the world can use to access the United Kingdom and other markets. This includes articles providing expert advice on effective marketing to build export sales:
Export sales – new ideas & tips
Global trade latest news round up
7 Quick tips for successful exports
Exports who buys what and where – essential
You can also add a FREE listing for your business on blackcat360.com, these listings will be seen by thousands of businesses from Africa over the following months. Just go to our home page, click ADD LISTING , register and then add your business details. Listing takes only 10 minutes and then businesses from Africa and beyond will contact you directly via our website with their requirements.
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United Kingdom imports and exports
