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Press release: DIT partners with retailer Newegg to promote British tech brands

Just in time for Christmas, the Department for International Trade (DIT) has partnered with marketplace giant Newegg to launch its first B2C advertising campaign, showcasing the best of British tech goods to US consumers.

Newegg, the leading tech-focused e-retailer in North America, garners millions of avid tech enthusiasts and e-commerce shoppers annually. Founded in 2001, the tech-giant has 32 million registered users globally.

On 1 December, in collaboration with Newegg, DIT is launching a pilot campaign which promotes UK tech products on the e-commerce site. The campaign will target US tech consumers to increase their propensity to explore UK goods on the site.

Minister for Trade and Export Promotion, Baroness Rona Fairhead said:

Online marketplaces are making it much easier for small businesses to sell their goods and services to customers overseas.

At the Department for International Trade, we are committed to supporting businesses by opening doors for exciting British tech innovators to sell their products on new platforms. This partnership with Newegg and other e-retailers forms an important part of our E-Exporting programme.

I’d encourage small businesses to take a look.

DIT’s E-Exporting Programme supports UK businesses by working with overseas marketplaces to deliver online promotions, raising awareness for British exporters selling their products on these platforms. The programme also provides access to the Selling Online Overseas Tool, a free-to-use, online service that allows businesses to click, connect, prepare and sell on global marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Tmall and Newegg. The tool provides access to discounts and benefits, including waived commissions and special marketing packages.

More than 20 British businesses have already registered to participate in DIT’s Newegg campaign, including innovative Hampshire-based company Blue Maestro.

Founded in 2013, Blue Maestro are pioneers in digital health and environment monitoring solutions. Specialising in the development and manufacture of Bluetooth sensor and time-stamping data logger technologies, the company has a range of products from baby monitors, consumer mini weather stations through to iBeacons and tracking devices.

Already exporting to a number of markets across the world, Blue Maestro has their sights firmly fixed on establishing themselves in the US. Joining DIT’s E-Exporting programme, the company have listed 3 of their products on the Newegg site, with the aim of increasing visibility and brand awareness to American consumers.

Kristin Hancock, Co-founder, Blue Maestro said:

Newegg is a platform which has been really easy to be involved with and we’re excited at the prospect of expanding into the US market.

The support from DIT has made the process easy and we’re already seeing more traction as a result of the advertising.

Last year, the company were the recipients of the Peer to Peer award at Innovate UK and were selected by Time magazine as a top 10 innovator at the Consumer Electronics Show 2015.

Another innovative tech company participating in the DIT’s Newegg campaign is London-based drone company Extreme Fliers.

Extreme Fliers specialises in the creation of small, advanced, personal Micro Drones which can be flown by anyone – not just experienced pilots. Their latest product, the Micro Drone 3.0 (that raised $3.5 million with crowdfunding on Indiegogo) includes a live streaming camera, giving the user an eye-in-sky perspective when combined with a virtual reality headset, for an immersive flying experience.

Vernon Kerswell founded the company in 2011 and now has a team of 10 inventors, designers and engineers. In 2016, Extreme Fliers were the recipients of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Innovation. Looking to break into the US market, Extreme Fliers registered with the Department for International Trade’s E-Exporting programme.

Vernon Kerswell, CEO, Extreme Fliers said:

Out of our small design studio in South London, we have built one of the UK’s leading Drone technology companies. By combining the best high tech engineering with global supply chains, we are able to develop products and scale very fast.

With DIT’s E-Exporting programme our products can quickly reach exciting new markets and customers around the world.

Sophia Tsao, Vice President, Global Marketplace Head at Newegg Inc., said:

We very much look forward to promoting innovative UK tech products to our customers as part of the campaign, launching this December.

We have worked very closely with DIT to onboard new UK companies to our platform and ensure they can benefit from this additional marketing opportunity, helping them tap into the US and global markets. We are delighted to partner with the UK government on this initiative.

The Department for International Trade has a network of experienced international trade advisers across the country as well as staff based in UK embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. They are ready to provide you with expert trade advice, market know-how and practical support to grow your business internationally.

If you’d like to apply to list your business on Newegg, or on another one of DIT’s partner sites, visit www.great.gov.uk and find out more about Selling Online Overseas. Arrange a free meeting through your local DIT office to get expert international trade advice and support, or email us at e-exporting@trade.gsi.gov.uk.

Link: Press release: DIT partners with retailer Newegg to promote British tech brands
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Why the Costa del Insurance should be the hottest destination for British travellers in 2018

As Brits are looking ahead at travel plans for 2018, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising holidaymakers to make sure they are properly insured.

Travelling abroad uninsured can cost thousands of pounds if a trip goes wrong. The price can range from £4,000 for medical repatriation aftercare for a heart attack in France to £80,000 for an air ambulance due to a fractured hip in Thailand.

Yet according to new research from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, being sure to take out the appropriate travel insurance policy features at the bottom of travellers’ holiday priorities:

  • getting to the airport (18%)
  • going through airport security (20%) and
  • waiting for luggage (11%)

are the biggest concerns for travellers going on holiday abroad. Only 2% worry about remembering to take out appropriate travel insurance.

72% of people aged over 55 plan to travel abroad in 2018 and with half of these identify themselves as having a pre-existing medical condition. The FCO is advising British holidaymakers to research the appropriate travel insurance options, understand the potential cost of not being adequately insured and to give a detailed and accurate medical history to insurers.

Research shows that:

  • the price of travel insurance is the most important factor for the over 55s when considering whether or not to buy it (23%), and
  • 1 in 20 have knowingly not declared their medical condition due to the increased cost of their travel insurance

The fact is that overseas emergency medical bills far outweigh the average cost of a policy.

Read our advice on buying the right travel insurance.

Media enquiries

For journalists

Link: Press release: Why the Costa del Insurance should be the hottest destination for British travellers in 2018
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: DIT announces new roles to lead export and investment agendas

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has this week announced that it will recruit 2 new Directors General to oversee the department’s growing export and investment agendas.

The creation of the Director General Investment and the Chief Exports Officer positions will build significant new senior capability in the department as it pursues an ambitious, targeted and strategic approach to promoting exports, and supporting greater inward and outward investment.

The Directors General will work with businesses from across the UK to generate wealth and prosperity, and ensure that companies of all sizes can take full advantage of global investment opportunities and the growing appetite for British goods and services abroad.

The Director General Investment will lead a global DIT team, co-ordinating government departments and working in partnership with the private sector to attract and retain high quality overseas investment.

The Chief Exports Officer will lead the implementation of a new export strategy to ensure that new and existing exporters can access the right financial, practical and promotional support to sell overseas. Export promotion is an essential element of the recently published government Industrial Strategy, with details of a new export strategy review unveiled in the Autumn Budget.

Find candidate information packs for:

Applications close on the 3rd January 2018 with the view to appoint in the new year.

Notes to editors

Building on the Autumn Budget, Minister for Trade and Exports, Baroness Rona Fairhead today (1 December 2017) announced a new Export Strategy Review to consider how the UK can encourage and support British businesses to take advantage of the huge potential to grow our exports.

Link: Press release: DIT announces new roles to lead export and investment agendas
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Baroness Fairhead to lead British export drive

A new government review will consider how the UK can encourage and support British businesses to take advantage of the huge potential to grow exports Minister for Trade and Exports, Baroness Rona Fairhead, announced today.

The Export Strategy review, led by the Department for International Trade (DIT), will work closely with businesses, and across Whitehall, to explore the barriers to exporting and identify the best ways in which government can help drive and support UK companies to increase exporting activity and unlock high potential opportunities overseas.

Baroness Fairhead has also launched a new UK Export Finance (UKEF) product for UK exporters and their supply chains. It will ensure exporters have more time to pay for supplies of goods and raw materials, while helping smaller companies in export supply chains secure early payment to support their cash flow.

Exports rose by 13.6% to £602 billion in the latest year on year figures, but with only 9% of British companies exporting, there is huge scope for more businesses to reach new customers by meeting demand for UK goods and services overseas.

Almost 300,000 UK companies produce goods and services that could be exported, but have no overseas sales. The new strategy will encourage these businesses to identify opportunities for export, and prepare them to win international contracts.

In the coming months DIT will work with industry to understand the challenges faced by UK firms, increase awareness of export support and finance that is already available, and explore how this can be improved.

Minister of State for Trade and Exports, Baroness Rona Fairhead said:

UK exports are going from strength to strength, but the potential for further growth is huge, particularly as only 9% of UK businesses currently export.

The Export Strategy review will draw on expertise from across government and the private sector, helping us to understand how best to support British companies to take advantage of opportunities in overseas markets. Throughout the process, we will look for significant input from UK businesses, both large and small, to ensure we develop a strategy that meets their needs.

In the last financial year, UKEF provided £3 billion in support for 221 companies’ exports; improving awareness and understanding of how export finance can help prospective exporters to compete globally will allow even more to benefit.

In last week’s Budget, the Chancellor announced that, in addition to new products from UKEF, the government will launch a campaign to promote the support they provide through the ‘Exporting is GREAT’ campaign.

The flagship great.gov.uk export platform, which was launched 1 year ago, lists thousands of export opportunities for UK companies worth millions of pounds. It also puts firms in touch with global buyers at the click of a mouse. Since its launch, great.gov.uk has promoted 11,400 export opportunities, and helped around 2.7 million users either begin or grow their exporting journeys.

Link: Press release: Baroness Fairhead to lead British export drive
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: UK-built satellite shines first light on air pollution

Launched into orbit on 13 October, the Sentinel-5 Precursor monitors the atmosphere to help us understand the spread of key pollutants and their impact on our changing planet.

The prime contractor for the development and manufacture of the satellite, which is part of Europe’s world-leading environmental monitoring programme – Copernicus, was Airbus Defence and Space, based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

One of the first images shows nitrogen dioxide over Europe. Caused largely by traffic and the combustion of fossil fuel in industrial processes, the high concentrations of this air pollutant can be seen over parts of the Netherlands, the Ruhr area in western Germany, the Po Valley in Italy and parts of Spain.

Science Minister, Jo Johnson, said:

“After only a few weeks in orbit, this UK-built satellite is delivering real results, shining a light on air quality and demonstrating the important role of the UK’s space sector in tackling global challenges.

“Our Industrial Strategy, published earlier this week, sets out a bold vision for the UK to become the world’s most innovative nation and highlights our commitment to work with industry to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030.”

One of the first images from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P
One of the first images from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission shows nitrogen dioxide over Europe on 22 November 2017.

Another of the first images from Sentinel-5 Precurosor shows ash and smoke from the Mount Agung volcanic eruption on Bali, Indonesia, on 27 November 2017. As well as detecting different air pollutants, the mission also measures aerosols.

Data from the Sentinel satellites benefits the UK in areas such as emergency response and flooding, farming and environmental management, air quality, marine planning and fisheries. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the UK Space Agency are championing the use of the satellite data for government policy making, scientific research and commercial services, as the data is also available to companies to create applications that help the wider economy.

The UK provides investment into the Copernicus programme through the European Union as well as additional UK Space Agency investment through the European Space Agency for the development of the Sentinel satellite technology and instruments.

Sentinel-5 Precursor is the sixth Copernicus Sentinel satellite. It carries the most advanced multispectral imaging spectrometer to date: Tropomi, developed by Airbus DS Netherlands for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Netherlands Space Office. This state-of-the-art instrument will map pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide and aerosols, all of which affect the air we breathe and our climate.

Since the satellite was launched, the instrument has been going through a planned decontamination process. Now, however, the door that kept Tropomi sealed for this purpose has been opened, allowing light to enter and the first images to be taken.

Even at this early stage in the mission’s life, these first results exceed expectations. These new images offer a taster of what’s in store once it has been fully commissioned for the task of mapping the entire planet every day with unprecedented accuracy, to take air-quality forecasting to a new level.


Link: Press release: UK-built satellite shines first light on air pollution
Source: Gov Press Releases

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The Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) (Amendment) Regulations 2017

These Regulations amend the Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1257) (“the 2016 Regulations”) which set out detailed requirements that a person must satisfy in order to receive free childcare for children of working parents in England pursuant to the Childcare Act 2016 (2016 c.5) (the “2016 Act”) (known as the “Extended Entitlement”).

Link: The Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) (Amendment) Regulations 2017
Source: Legislation .gov.uk