The battle for Europe goes on
In the last few years countries like China or the US have implemented strategies to win European markets. Chinese have indeed been quite successful, though Chinese labelled products are perceived as low quality. However, many European brands produce in Asian soil (usually China, Thailand or India) and then import when finished: re-localization of industries has made Asia the main European supplier.
Yet, the US exported 471 billion USD during 2013 into the European Union, and this figure has been increasing considerably during last year. India, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey are also being quite successful in European sales, especially in fashion or food products. Russia keeps being one of the strongest suppliers to Easter European countries, and it is not only in Vodka. Energy is the star Russian products, now also supplying western Europe partially, since last year agreements with for example Gazprom, the Russky energy monster.
If you are in Western Europe and want to go east, try with Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic. Yes, Russia is a huge market but import taxes are high and procedures are corrupted. However the countries closer to Germany are developing steady economies lately and consumers have gained purchase power and follow EU regulations. They are great markets for fashion and food products, where the West label will give added value and justify a higher price than local products.
On the other hand, if you are in East Europe and and to go west, you will have most probably to provide competitive pricing with excellent quality and service. According to Eurostat, Germany is consolidated as number one importer, followed closely by France and the UK. Amazingly, small countries like the Netherlands and Belgium import more than higher populated states like Spain or Italy. You would say this is a symptom of richness in north European economies, but then Sweden or Norway import much less than the Italians, yet their economic systems are more efficient and wealthier.
Are you considering international markets? At IBCC we will assess you and your team to position your products in Europe and increase your export figures and profitability, providing tailor-made solutions that will optimize all your business processes as well.
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