Renewable energy business, rescue vehicle manufacturer and Welsh cheese company are among Heathrow’s ‘Global Britain Business Champions’ – UK SMEs using the airport’s routes to export British excellence

• 10 SMEs from across the country have been named Heathrow’s Global Britain Business Champions – SMEs that export their goods and services globally via the UK’s only hub airport
• The winners, which range from a Welsh cheese company to a Lincolnshire-based renewable energy business, are set to receive free promotion across the airport as part of a campaign to showcase some of the British businesses that use Heathrow to reach international markets
• Cebr research reveals that Heathrow alone has the potential to facilitate a £204 billion trade bonanza benefitting British businesses in every corner of the country

Heathrow Airport has unveiled the winners of its Global Britain Business Champions competition, celebrating some of the SMEs that export via the UK’s largest port.

The 10 winners, from across the UK, all export either their goods or services via Heathrow and demonstrate the best of British quality, innovation, technology, or design. The winners include Ormiston Wire, the West London based company that provided the wire for Heathrow’s past umbrella installation to raise awareness for neurodiversity. Their products have a wide range of uses, from surgical sutures to special effects for the film industry. Yorkshire-based rescue vehicle manufacturer, Angloco, is among this year’s winners. The company exports its specialist firefighting equipment to over 70 countries via the hub airport. Lincolnshire-based renewable energy business myenergi and the Welsh Snowdonia Cheese company are also some of this year’s champions.

Three of the Global Britain Business Champions – County Down-based packaging manufacturer, Premier Packaging Solutions; Redcar-based emulsions specialist, Micropore Technologies; and family-run Scottish woodcraft company, Reza Wood Designs – are also previous winners of Heathrow’s World of Opportunity grant. This was a joint initiative between Heathrow and the Department for International Trade, which provided grants to SMEs looking to fund trade missions to global markets of their choice.

As most of the cargo travelling through Heathrow is transported in the belly hold of passenger planes, international travel restrictions have severely impacted global supply chains and international trade. Heathrow’s August cargo volumes were 14 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels, while EU hubs, such as Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt were up by 9 and 6 per cent on 2019, respectively.

This campaign showcases some of the businesses that have kept the country trading throughout the pandemic and profiles some of the regions, nations and sectors that benefit from Heathrow’s connections as the UK’s only hub airport. The winners will receive increased exposure as part of the campaign and will be promoted on digital billboards around the airport.

Heathrow’s trade links are vital to businesses from a wide range of sectors, helping connect communities across the UK to each other and to global growth. These companies use air freight via Heathrow as it is faster, safer, and more reliable than other forms of transport. In fact, research from Cebr suggests that cargo transported through Heathrow includes some of Britain’s highest quality goods and services and is worth 80 times more per tonne than shipping freight, covering vital sectors.

Research conducted by Cebr this year shows the value of trade going through Heathrow in 2019 stood at approximately £188bn. Cebr forecast that by 2025 this could grow to over £204bn, creating economic opportunities that are key to achieving the Government’s own Global Britain ambitions and levelling up goals – as long as Britain’s vital trade links are restored and strengthened.

This boost has the potential to impact every part of the UK. Regions with a strong manufacturing base, such as the Midlands and North East, are likely to benefit most from future trade agreements with fast growing economies around the world. Scotland and Wales would see increased trade in agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Heathrow’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ross Baker, said: “Companies in every corner of the UK rely on Heathrow’s diverse route network to export their goods and services abroad. Their continued success is crucial to Britain’s post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as the Government’s own plans for levelling up every corner of the UK and creating a Global Britain. We are proud to support these businesses and hope to facilitate even more opportunities, but Government needs to safely streamline the framework for international travel. Doing this will help to safely restore many of the invaluable trade links that have been severed as a result of this pandemic.”