British food and drink exporters are targeting central Europe in a bid to capitalise on Europe’s previously unseen yet highly developed retail markets, according to Food from Britain.

With the 10 new EU accession countries the market-development consultancy for UK food and drink companies says it has received a sharp increase in requests for advice and research on central European markets. These markets will be more accessible to UK exporters following accession because of open competition and lower customs duties and tariffs.

Matthew Nash, head of new market development at FFB, said: “We have worked with a number of food and drink companies who have worked successfully with these markets for many years, but the majority of UK manufacturers have traditionally focused on western Europe. People are surprised at how developed central Europe is, with more hypermarkets per captia than anywhere else in Europe. This clearly presents many export opportunities.”

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