Enterprise Ireland is today hosting a trade visit to London led by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar.
Varadkar will attend a UK and Ireland business leaders’ networking dinner at the Mansion House in London, also marking the tenure of Vincent Keaveny, the first Irish person to be appointed as the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
Some 65 high-growth Enterprise Ireland client companies with combined UK exports of over €1bn will attend the event alongside their UK partners, and a number of firms have announced deals to coincide with the event.
Enterprise Ireland client companies EPS, Cleanteach Civils and WEW Engineering have won the tender process for the Rickinghall contract, worth £6m as part of the Northumbrian Water's Capital Delivery Framework.
CitySwift, which on Monday confirmed it had raised a further €5m from existing investors, has announced a partnership with Transport for London and a two-year partnership with Metroline, one of London's leading bus operators.
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"The UK is and will remain our largest market and will be of continued strategic importance for Irish exporters," said Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland. "As reflected in strong growth figures for our clients, the UK presents business opportunities for established and new exporters.
"Our clients are hugely ambitious for the market, which we are seeing through their levels of expansion, contract wins, and new presences established in the UK, and the number of new first-time exporters to the market.
"Enterprise Ireland and our clients remain agile in our response to the evolving nature of the new trading relationship, and we continue to deliver support to clients through market insights and our Brexit Adjustment Initiative.”
Varadkar added the visit "marks a buoyant time for Irish businesses in the UK, with record levels of exports and strong growth opportunities. Irish companies currently employ over 117,000 people in Britain.
"By working closely together, building on partnerships and forming new ones, such as the new deals announced today, we hope to create more jobs and prosperity for both countries.”
UK exports by Enterprise Ireland clients grew 15% to a record €8.4bn in 2021, and the UK now accounts for 31% of total exports. Over 1,600 Enterprise Ireland clients export to the UK, including 112 first-time exporters to the market.
