Setting businesses up in Spain

Last week, Santander took 12 successful UK food and drink manufacturers – all based in Anglia – to Spain on one of our trade missions.

The initiative is part of Santander’s focus in 2017 on the helping the UK food and drink sector invest for growth and expand – in the UK and abroad. The food and drink industry is one of the UK’s most successful and fast-growing markets and Santander is positioned to help firms capitalise on this momentum.

We have had excellent feedback from all the delegates who attended. Each business saw at least five buyers on our dedicated ‘Meet the Buyer’ session which ensured they maximised their exposure to potential business partners. Every delegate spoke about the quality of the buyers we had set up meetings for them with and felt they had opportunities that they could exploit in Spain.

The difficulty for UK businesses wanting to export is usually knowing where to start – who to approach, which country and region to target, which products to begin exporting – so we are delighted that this trade mission gave delegates a foot in the door and started them on their way to exporting successfully to Spain.

David Glennan, Managing Director at Corker Crisps, said on his return from the trade mission that:

Spain has been a market we wanted to get access to and via Santander we are going to achieve that. The quality of buyers, market insights and overall delivery of the mission was exceptional. The international support they are giving to local businesses is fantastic.

Mark Hulme, Managing Director at Cheese+, added that:

The quality and value of this event was what stood out for me. Every part of the mission has added value to my business; the quality of buyers, the staff from the UK and Spain, we were looked after from start to finish. It has given us a great opportunity to make inroads to the Spanish market and with Santander’s support we have a great chance.

Spanish buyers are keen on British products for three key reasons:

Spanish people are very keen on heritage, they love the fact that products have come from the UK because of the history we have here;

1. The quality of the produce is exceptional. With the net disposable income levels in Spain increasing, customers are prepared to spend more to get a high quality product; and
2. The way the UK does business in Spain is highly regarded as tourists tend to lean towards UK brands abroad so having them on the shelves is good for business.

The opportunities in Spain are not just limited to UK food and drink companies. From Anglia in particular there are opportunities for luxury goods, particularly clothing and specific chemicals from a manufacturing perspective. Spain has something for every type of business and the Trade Network team can really help open doors for people who are interested.