Sponsored column: Businesses helped to take advantage of a world of opportunities

ON the face of it, you wouldn't imagine a natural affinity between Holmfirth, a village home to the Last of the Summer Wine, and China's fastest growing cities, full of consumers keen to get their hands on British goods.
Steve Laidlaw of Distinctive Chesterfields with Ingun Vallumroed, project manager for the EDF programme Photo:  Lucy Forrester of Proud Fox Creative.Steve Laidlaw of Distinctive Chesterfields with Ingun Vallumroed, project manager for the EDF programme Photo:  Lucy Forrester of Proud Fox Creative.
Steve Laidlaw of Distinctive Chesterfields with Ingun Vallumroed, project manager for the EDF programme Photo: Lucy Forrester of Proud Fox Creative.

Husband and wife team Steve and Clare Laidlaw, based in Honley, West Yorkshire, managed to forge lucrative ties with China using grant funding and expert advice from the Department for International Trade (DIT).

Their company, Distinctive Chesterfields, established in 2010, manufactures handmade and durable sofas and has showrooms as far as Huddersfield and London. Earlier this year, they decided they wanted extra help accessing overseas markets and approached DIT.

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The company has been working with DIT since 2012, and had previously been on the Passport to Export scheme, used Tradeshow Access Programme funding and attended various workshops.

Through International Trade Adviser Melanie Potts, the couple received invaluable support that helped boost the company’s turnover and opened a world of opportunities. They were successful in applying for a grant from the £6.7m worth of funding available through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Exporting for Growth programme (EFG). The fund supports businesses looking to grow in international markets.

International Trade Adviser, Melanie Potts, said: “I started working with Distinctive Chesterfields in June and helped them successfully apply for EFG funding which they used to help fund a trip to China.

“During the trip they secured a £500,000 deal with a local company and used some of the funding towards internationalising their website for the Chinese market.”

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The company exports to 10 different countries around the world, accounting for nearly half of their current turnover. Their biggest export market is the USA where they’re looking at launching a new product.

Ingunn Vallumroed, the project manager for the EFG programme, said that apart from the grant funding, companies can also gain support from experienced trade advisers like Ms Potts. Since the programme went live in December, there have already been 250 applications.

Ms Vallumroed said she loved to see companies overcome barriers to achieve their dreams.

“Some of the typical sectors we have been dealing with have included food and drink and creative and media.

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“We know there are lots of companies out there who don’t know about the work we do and we are keen for them to get in touch.”

More than 50 companies have received grants so far and the scheme has already created 10 jobs in the region. The advisers provide expert guidance on initial market research to digital strategies.

Grants are available up to a limit of £5,000 for those already exporting and up to £2,000 for first-time exporters. The minimum grant is £1,000 for both.

In addition to the grant a business can also receive up to 12 hours of support from an International Trade Adviser.

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The grants have to be match funded by the businesses; in South Yorkshire (within the Sheffield City Region) and Humber (Hull, East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire) this is 40 per cent of the project cost, against a 60 per cent grant, in the Leeds City Region, which includes West Yorkshire, York, Harrogate, Selby and Craven, the match funding must be 50 per cent of the total costs.

Companies based in Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire and Derbyshire Dales are eligible for 50 per cent match funding:

The EFG ERDF support comes under De Minimis exemptions to state funding, therefore the business cannot have received more than €200,000 in the current and previous two fiscal years.

Businesses within the North Yorkshire LEP are currently not eligible to receive grants from this programme.

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As a result of the project the grant has been used for, the creation of at least one permanent full-time equivalent position must be forecasted.

Examples of eligible expenditure include the costs of getting to the target country, and in-country accommodation and entrance to exhibitions and trade fairs, and shipping of any associated products, including cost of the stand and associated fittings.

To find out more about the EFG programme telephone (0) 300 365 1000 or email [email protected].

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