Over half of all goods and services sold outside Northern Ireland in 2020 were to Great Britain (GB) with over 60% of goods sold coming from the Manufacturing sector. The top five Northern Ireland industries selling goods and services to GB in 2020 were -

• Manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products
• Wholesale trade (except of Motor vehicles and motorcycles)
• Civil engineering
• Computer programming, consultancy and related activities
• Specialised construction activities

As in Northern Ireland, technology is an important part of the rest of GB's economy and many businesses from Northern Ireland supply customers in areas such as IT, biomedicals and pharmaceuticals.

More broadly, whatever your product or service there's a good chance that it suits potential customers in other parts of GB. The key challenge is to identify the most promising targets.

Find information on key sectors in Scotland.

Find information on key sectors in Wales.

Find information on key sectors in the UK.

Building a range of customers across different regions of GB allows Northern Ireland businesses to increase sales, and can also insulate them against any temporary downturn in one particular local market.

In broad terms, customers across GB tend to be similar to those in Northern Ireland. However, there is a long tradition of different regional and local cultures GB.

London and the Southeast are the wealthiest areas of GB. Other English regions, as well as Wales and Scotland, have their own identities and business needs. Some parts of GB, particularly larger cities, also have large ethnic populations. Locals take pride in the traditions of their own area, and any knowledge you have of regional culture will be appreciated. Welsh and Scottish people may strongly object to being called English.

English is spoken across England, Scotland and Wales, though regional accents and local slang vary. As many as a quarter of the Welsh speak the Welsh language, but Welsh-speakers will happily use English to do business. A small number of Scots speak Gaelic but will use English.

Decision makers

Businesses across GB use the same structures as in Northern Ireland - sole traders, partnerships and limited companies. Larger organisations can have relatively complex and slow purchasing procedures. Identifying both decision-makers and individuals who influence purchasing decisions can be essential.

The public sector, while less prominent than in Northern Ireland, can also be an important customer particularly in sectors such as health care. For more information see an overview of selling to government.

Thorough market research can help you understand customers and their decision-making. You may also want to consider working with contacts or advisers with local expertise. Visits will almost always be an important part of this process: for more information see market visits in GB.

There are a number of sectors in Great Britain that could potentially offer some opportunities to Northern Ireland companies:

Life and Health Sciences

According to the UK’s Office for Life Sciences, in 2020 the UK Life Sciences industry generated a turnover of £88.9bn (Office for Life Sciences, Bioscience and Health Technology Sector Statistics 2020).

Two key sectors exist within the UK Life Sciences industry, namely: Biopharmaceuticals and Medical Technology.

Engineering

The value of the UK Civil Engineering sector was estimated to be £55.3bn in 2022 up from £50.2bn in 2019 and is estimated to grow by 4.75% by 2025 (Statista, UK Civil Engineering Industry Outlook, February 2022).

The UK Electrical Engineering sector was valued at £21bn in 2020 and is expected to reach a value of £23.bn by 2026 (IBISWorld, “Electricians in the UK”, March 2021).

The UK Mechanical Engineering sector generated approximately £40.9bn in revenue in 2020 and was forecast to grow by 15% up to the end of 2022 with growth over the period from 2020–2025 forecast to reach 23% (Statista, “Revenue of the Mechanical Engineering industry in the UK from 2006 to 2020”, April 2021).

The UK Precision Engineering industry market size is estimated at £6.8bn in 2022 (IBISWorld, “Precision Engineering in the UK - Market Size 2010–2028”, February 2022) having grown by an average 0.2% between 2017 and 2021 and was forecast to increase by 17.2% in 2022 from 2021 levels.

Aerospace, Defence and Security

According to International Trade Administration (September 2021), the UK Aerospace industry is the second largest the world behind the US, with approximately 16% of global market share. There are currently more than 3,000 aerospace companies in the UK with key indigenous players including BAE Systems, Cobham, GKN, Meggitt, QinetiQ, Rolls-Royce, and Ultra Electronics. 97% of domestic aerospace production is exported.

The UK has a reputation as a centre of excellence for the production of engines, wings, structures, aircraft systems including landing gear and helicopters. In addition to manufacturing the UK has a thriving Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) sector, which provides services to the huge numbers of military and civil aircraft that fly through or from the UK each year.

Construction

According to the IBISWorld “Sector Trends 2022 - Construction Sector in the UK” report, revenue for the UK Construction Sector grew 3.9% per year on average between 2015 and 2020 to £219.4bn.

The UK construction industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with overall output declining by over 35% year-on-year in April 2020 (“Construction industry in the UK - statistics & facts”, Statista, February 2022). The only sectors with positive growth were infrastructure and public new housing (“Construction statistics, Great Britain: 2020”, Office of National statistics, October 2021).

Technology and creative

The Technology Sector is defined as including ICT, Data Analytics, Telecommunications and Cyber Security. The UK is the largest ICT market in Europe offering major opportunities in cybersecurity, 5G/telecoms, Software/SaaS & Cloud Services, Fintech and IOT and Smart Cities.

The Digital and Creative Sector is extremely broad and encompasses a diverse range of activities; from telecoms to advertising and computer programming through to broadcasting. However, the distinction between ‘digital’ and ‘creative’ is constantly evolving and becoming significantly less clear. Most creative activities now rely on, or incorporate, digital technologies. In turn, creativity and design disciplines are also becoming increasingly important to digital projects.

Professional Services

The professional and business services sector plays an important role in supporting jobs and growth in the UK, making up 13% of all UK employment, 25% of all businesses and adding £190bn in 2020 to the economy (Allianz Insurance – Review of Professional Services Sector, April 2021.

According to the IBISWorld “Sector Trends 2022 - Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities Sector in the UK” report, including Scientific and Technical Activities takes the total sector value to  £241.4bn in 2020, indicating that the Professional Scientific and Technical sub sector was the fastest (1st) growing sector over that 5 year period to 2020.

Food and Drink

The UK Food Production market generated approximately £105bn in 2020 (Food and Drink Federation).  According to IBISWorld Meat Processing in the UK trends 2017-2022 industry revenue is expected to have grown at a compound annual rate of 0.9% over the five years to reach £8.9bn in 2022.

The UK Grocery Retail sector was valued £205bn in 2020, £211bn in 2021 and is anticipated to grow to £229bn by 2026 (Statista, “Market value of grocery retail in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2004 to 2026”, February 2022, Statista, “Market value of grocery retail in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2004 to 2026”, February 2022 and IGD). 

Space

UK sector income has risen from £14.8bn in 2016 to £16.4bn in 2019, representing annual growth of 2.8% in real terms, with R&D investment at five times the national average, according to the UK Space Agency May 2021 ‘Size and Health of the UK Space Industry Report’.  The industry is dominated by ‘downstream’ activities such as direct to home broadcasting.

Market visits are an important part of developing your understanding of customer requirements and building relationships. You can also use visits to make other useful contacts, such as local advisers and business partners, and to assess the response to your product.

Visiting customers in other parts of GB is generally straightforward, particularly in cities where there are direct flights from Belfast.

Visiting several companies in one trip can be more cost-effective. Alternatively, you might use trade fairs and exhibitions, either as a visitor or exhibitor, as an opportunity to meet a wide range of contacts.

Trade associations for your industry may organise events or be able to provide useful contact information. Find trade associations. Scottish Enterprise, the Welsh Department of Enterprise and Innovation and Networks may also organise events of interest to you or provide helpful information.

Thorough preparation is the key to making the most out of any market visit. You'll want to make sure you know what you are trying to achieve and have a clear marketing message. If you need any marketing materials or samples, organise them well in advance. Read more about making the most of trade shows and exhibitions.

The first step to successful marketing is to identify potential customers. If you are targeting business customers, options include using trade directories or identifying members of relevant trade associations.

As part of your research, you should also ensure that you understand how customer requirements vary. If necessary, you may want to tailor what you offer to suit different customers.

Invest Northern Ireland provides access to a range of useful information, including company databases and other sources of market research. Read more about market research and market reports.

You need to decide what is the most effective way to reach customers. For example, you might sell directly or you could work with a local agent who has existing customer relationships.

You're likely to find that the same advertising and promotion methods that work for you in Northern Ireland work across GB. You can use your website or social media channels to communicate with customers, or in some cases to sell directly.

Selling to Great Britain (GB) is relatively straightforward. Unlike exports to other countries, there are no special taxes or duties. VAT operates in the normal way, and profits on sales made in GB are taxed in the same way as other profits.

Developing new customers in GB can be relatively inexpensive. In many cases, your main costs will be carrying out market research and paying for visits as you build relationships.

If you sell to businesses, they will probably expect to be offered credit. This can increase the financial strain as your business grows. You may want to consider borrowing additional money or using financing techniques like factoring. You also need to check creditworthiness before offering credit to new customers, and exercise effective credit control.

Invest Northern Ireland can offer advice on financing. They may also be able to offer financial support to client businesses that cannot obtain it commercially. Read more about Invest NI financial support.

Although Northern Ireland and GB are on separate islands, there are quick and easy transport links between the two.

There are direct flights from Northern Ireland's three airports to major cities in GB, including many low cost fares. There are excellent shipping links from Belfast and other ports.

In fact, links to some parts of GB are faster and cheaper from Northern Ireland than from other parts of GB. Together with lower costs, this can give businesses based in Northern Ireland a real advantage.

Deliveries to most parts of GB are straightforward. It may suit you to organise deliveries yourself, or to use couriers or freight forwarding companies. You may want to consider a freight forwarder if you have special or complex shipping requirements: for example, for perishable goods. Read more about international transport and distribution.

It's worth remembering that there are excellent communication links across GB, including high-speed broadband internet access. Effective use of these is a very cost-effective way of staying in touch with customers. Depending on your product or service, you could also consider selling online. You can also find information on Invest NI ICT and eBusiness support services.

Selling to GB can be an important part of developing your business. While it may present additional challenges, Invest Northern Ireland offers a comprehensive range of advice, and additional support services for client businesses including:

• sector specialists who can help you assess the opportunities for your business and advise on the best way forward
• the Business Information Centre which gives access to a range of useful information, including company databases and other sources of market research
• advice on how to use technology to support sales across GB
• advice on financing your business and potentially financial support directly to client businesses

• The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce (NICC) provides networking opportunities and information services.
• A good freight forwarder can organise delivery, minimising the logistical problems you have to deal with.
• Scottish Enterprise, the Welsh Department for Enterprise and Innovation and Networks can all be useful sources of information.