TRADE Minister Lord Green was in Huntingdon this week urging companies to join in the UK’s export-led recovery.

The Minister for Trade and Investment met firms from a variety of sectors, including consumer products, information, manufacturing, aerospace and communications technology (ICT) in the first of a series of regional visits across the country.

They included Huntingdon-based Hotel Chocolat, which has an annual turnover of around �60million, 70 stores across the UK and exports to USA, Bahrain, Dubai, Saudi & the Channel Islands, and printhead specialist Xaar plc, with annual turnover in excess of �50million of which 90 per cent is exported.

Lord Green said: “I want to hear from British small and medium-sized companies how we can help them to become a bigger part of the export economy. Exporting is going to be core to the UK’s economic recovery and we need to encourage more UK firms to venture overseas.

“The companies I met demonstrate why the East of England has a first-class record for exporting great British products. I congratulate them on their ongoing success.”