LEIPZIG BUSINESS MISSION TO PLYMOUTH LEADS TO 650K EURO DEAL
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A GERMAN business delegation attended Plymouth’s first Business Week – and the visit led to a 650,000-euro deal being signed between two firms.
Plymouth’s Tellus Education Group inked the deal with ICC Sprachinstitut, based in Leipzig.
Both companies are English language providers and plan to provide vocational work placements in Leipzig by 2020.
Neil Pick, chairman of Mutley-based Tellus Education Group, said: “This deal is potentially worth hundreds of thousands of pounds to our economies in Plymouth and Leipzig, and a boost to a new business partnership being created with the city of Leipzig.”
“I’m quite sure other partnerships and business deals will follow from our visit to Devon.”
Mr Parsons, an Englishman who set up his firm in Leipzig 20 years ago and has grown it to having 70 employees, was one of three German business experts visiting Plymouth.
Accompanying him were Helen Stohr, international market development manager with Invest Region Leipzig; and Mario Wermuth, chief executive of digital tourism business Inbooma.
In a four-day fact-finding mission, organised by Plymouth and Devon Chamber of Commerce and Plymouth’s Dorcas Media, the Leipzig delegation exhibited at the Plymouth Business Show and visited city businesses including Clever Student Lets and Plymouth Gin Distillery.
They also met Plymouth City Council’s inward investment manager Steve Bashford, City Deal head Patrick Hartop, Amanda Lumley from Destination Plymouth and Adrian Dawson from the Growth Acceleration and Investment Network (GAIN).
The delegation also toured Devonport’s proposed South Yard Enterprise Zone, Plymouth Science Park, the £5million Tamar House student flat development at St Andrew’s Cross, and the Marine Building at Plymouth University, where they saw the wave machine in action and experienced the navigation centre’s high-tech ship’s bridge simulator.
Ms Stohr said she has a brief to attract investment into Leipzig, promote international trade and raise awareness of the German city.
She said the Plymouth visit could boost trade in the short-term and potentially lead to Plymouth companies visiting Leipzig’s business show later this year.
“We could have a Plymouth delegation coming to Leipzig,” she said. “Then investment is the long-term prospect. This visit was a step in the right direction.
“We now have a good overview of the region, I will now try to find matches, things we can do together.”
Peter Hartland, chief executive of Plymouth and Devon Chamber, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Leipzig delegation to Plymouth. Encouraging international trade and building positive collaborative relationships is extremely important, if we are to continue to build on the growth momentum that our economy has seen.
“The EU remains the most important export market for UK businesses, so we are delighted to have facilitated new contacts with the Leipzig delegation and to have showcased Plymouth, for inward investment opportunities.”
(Publicity generated by Dorcas Media).