We are aiming for a virtual foray into foreign markets

West WestLothianChamberofCommerce Lothian Chamber of Commerce is excited to be a part of a Scotland wide initiative, International Trade Partnership (ITP) hosted by Scottish Chambers of Commerce and in partnership with Scottish Government to open the door for businesses to enter new markets.

The aim of ITP is to provide and organise inward and outward trade missions and is follow up to the successful pilot scheme that ran between 2017 – 2018.

West Lothian Chamber of Commerce were delighted to be apart of the pilot scheme with us building connections with South Dublin Chamber, while hosting two outward trade missions to Dublin and Donegal and an inward trade mission to West Lothian.

Following on from our own trade missions we could really see the benefit to our members and the wider business community as they built their connections internationally.

As a whole ITP (Pilot) delivered as independently evaluated:

An immediate increase in turnover by participating businesses of £4.62m 76 new jobs already created Additional GVA of £1.66m added It further noted that within 3 years these would grow significantly to:

New turnover of £16.4m

The creation of 238.5 jobs

£5.89m of additional GVA

Of course at the present time with world travel at a halt due to Covid-19, we recognise that the traditional trade mission would not be possible, therefore the entire Chamber network will be hosting our trade missions virtually to ensure business continues.

In total over the next year the Chamber network throughout Scotland will be hosting up to 40 missions to a variety of countries and these are open to all Scottish businesses.

West Lothian Chamber of Commerce’s first stop for ITP will be California closely followed by

Mongolia. Both countries offer a lot of possibility for our businesses to grow and expand.

By holding these on a virtual platform it allows businesses to take part who normally wouldn’t consider a trade mission as it means you can speak with businesses from the destination and view the opportunities without having to actually visit the country.

We do hope that we will be able to visit these countries in person in the near future. If you are interested, or are already trading with, either California or Mongolia and would like to take part in our virtual trade missions please get in touch.

We are also interested to hear from any businesses who are looking to extend their market internationally to other areas. Let us know by registering your interest by contacting chamber@ wlchamber.com or call 01506 414 808.

To find out more about ITP and what other countries are being visited by visiting - www.exporthubscotland. com/