BPMA secures meetings with Government to address export challenges
BPMA have been invited to attend critical meetings with HMRC, Department of International Trade and key Government stakeholders to further discussions held in April. After a successful meeting with the Minister for Exports, Graham Stuart MP and Andrew Lewer MP, representatives from the BPMA, Department of International Trade agreed to discuss the costly challenges faced by the promotional merchandise industry since the end of the Transition period.
BPMA Board Director and Juniper founder Andrew Langley and BPMA Chair Angela Wagstaff (Allwag Promotions) presented the case for distributors and suppliers to the Minister of Export in April. The meeting was secured after Andrew Lewer MP presented a question in the Commons on behalf of the BPMA, detailing the challenges faced by BPMA members and many other SMEs in exporting to the EU.
Collaboration with Government
The BPMA are delighted to report the meeting and subject of support for SMEs linked to VAT burdens was well received. As a result, the BPMA have secured dedicated time with the Department of International Trade to work collaboratively across Government departments to address the challenges faced by our industry.
Recognition of the financial burden faced by businesses has been central to the BPMA’s position to Government; solutions to provide funding, simplify processes, and further resource are under discussion. BPMA Chair Angela Wagstaff said; ‘The case the BPMA has presented to the Minister gives the promotional merchandise industry a voice. We urge everyone to complete the survey so we can share an accurate picture in our report to Government.’
With news also released in April advertising and marketing spend is set to grow during the remainder of 2021 to 15.2%, this indicates a spend recovery stronger than any other global economy, signalling incoming demand to the promotional merchandise sector as other services such as events are reintroduced. With order levels set to grow, favourable trading conditions and meeting end-user expectations will be more important than ever.
Presenting the case for Promotional Merchandise
The BPMA are now conducting an industry wide survey to collate the picture of gains, losses and challenges experienced because of the Transition period ending to help examine how the specific needs for the industry can be addressed. The survey has been extended due to a large number of responses so you can still contribute.
Please note: you can take this survey anonymously.
Take part in the survey now and share your views.
Reporting back to industry
The results of the survey will be shared in a special BPMA industry session alongside trend reports from Sourcing City to look at the true levels of business in the last 12-18 months. Look out for a registration link on the BPMA events page: www.bpma.co.uk/events
