UK entrepreneurs find a safe haven in China despite political tensions
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UK entrepreneurs find a safe haven in China despite political tensions The country is still Britain’s third-largest export market, worth £25bn and rising By Laura Onita 17 January 2021 • 5:59pm New markets: Simon Boyd, sales director of British beauty firm Cyden, takes part in a livestream with Chinese influencer Viya Within a month of setting up Hawkins & Brimble, founder Stephen Shortt was flying out to China in order to tout his men’s grooming range. We were in Shanghai, Beijing for about two weeks meeting anybody who would see us, some big companies as well – like Hutchison Whampoa. We were surprised by how welcome we were. There’s a real appetite for British products.” Cheltenham-based Hawkins & Brimble makes shaving, beard and skincare products in the UK and sells them in 24 countries around the globe. […] British consumer goods exports to China have increased substantially since 2010 Businesses like Shortt’s have benefited from the rapid rise of Asia’s middle class with more disposable income as well as the boom in e-commerce – the country’s online retailing market is worth $2 trillion (£1.4 trillion), more than America’s and Europe’s combined. […] Simon Boyd, its sales director of four years, says the firm exports 95pc of its production from its factories in Wales “and our biggest export market globally is China”.
