British business mission in Morocco

Representatives of twelve British companies start this Tuesday a six-day visit to Morocco to prospect opportunities to sell their goods and services and invest in Morocco, the British embassy in Rabat said in a release.

The mission is sponsored by the International Business Center, based in Cardiff (capital of Wales), with the support of the Trade Partners UK, which is the United Kingdom's trade promotion body.

Mission manager, Pam Williams, says "the Cardiff chamber of commerce has recruited a diverse group of companies for this visit ranging from small-large businesses encompassing a wide selection of industrial sectors and professional disciplines."

The British companies will work to maximize the business opportunities in Morocco. "Each of the companies on this mission has excellent prospects in Morocco. The mission shows the keen interest of a growing number of British companies in doing business in Morocco. We are expecting good results," says Alan Michael, British Consul General in Casablanca.

Morocco is increasingly becoming a target market for British companies looking to expand overseas. Trade in the first seven months of 2000 has grown fast as Moroccan imports of British goods went up by 26 % and Moroccan exports to UK went up by 15%.

The companies looking for business range from small private companies to international businesses with interests across the world. Marks and Spencer, the quality food and clothing company which already makes a lot of their clothes in Morocco, and a smaller gift retailer are participating in the mission. Three of the companies are in the field of training, offering tailor-made packages of training for businesses in information technology, food hygiene, service and management. One of these specializes in Intranet and Internet based training.