Dip in percentage of Scots firms exporting

The percentage of Scottish businesses exporting has dipped to less than a third, data unveiled today has found.

The latest Business in Britain report from Bank of Scotland found the number of Scottish firms exporting – out of 125 surveyed – lessened over the last six months to 29 per cent, down from 37 per cent in June.

Across the UK the number of firms exporting fell four percentage points to 40 per cent.

Simon Quin, Scotland area director for global transaction banking, SME at Bank of Scotland, said: “The majority of Scotland’s exporters still see international trade playing an important role in their plans, despite the continued climate of domestic and international uncertainty.”

He said such confidence is justified, adding: “The fact that Scottish exporters see China as offering the biggest opportunity in future shows that they are looking to preemptively tackle the impact of a potential loss of access to the EU single market.”