Business Briefs

Trading with Europe still tough despite EPA

Trading with Europe is likely to continue to prove difficult despite the presence of the CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and Barbadian businesses are coming to terms with the reality that exporting to Europe under that agreement is not as easy as might have been imagined.

Last week, the Barbados Private Sector Trade Team (BSTT) sponsored a workshop arising out of which local business officials concluded that penetrating the walls of fortress Europe, is proving to be difficult.

“The harsh reality is that it is going to take a generational change to access the opportunities,” said James Paul, General Manager of the Barbados Agricultural Society.

Barbados Beer breakthrough in the UK

Barbados-manufactured Banks Beer has made an important breakthrough on the UK market with the product’s distributor announcing recently that it will shortly be sold in one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, TESCO.

The company confirmed that the product will be marketed under the brand Banks Caribbean Lager at around 195 stores in the UK. Tesco Ireland will be listing Banks Caribbean Lager for a two-month promotional period, and if successful it will remain in the stores and be part of a three-times-a-year promotion.