'Meet the Buyer' days organised by PetQuip are becoming recognised as a great opportunity for UK exporters of pet products to speak with European distributors.

PetQuip target key distributors and wholesalers, pet retail chains and mail order/internet sales companies.

In the past the organisation has attracted buyers from markets as diverse as Italy, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Romania, Estonia and even Dubai. And one Dutch retailer liked the format so much he returned with a wholesaler.

"Buyers like these events because they have the opportunity to visit pet stores and pet departments in garden centres on the day before," said PetQuip's Charlie Parker. "Indeed some have identified new British suppliers as a result of the store visits.

"The events are very focussed – the buyers get to see up to around a dozen UK suppliers on one day and the 25-minute face-to-face meetings allow for a good introduction to the company and their products.

"For UK suppliers this is a rare opportunity to meet a key international buyer ‘on home turf’ for nearly half an hour, present samples, company brochures, make a presentation etc."



UK companies will receive profiles of the participating buyers two months prior to when a meeting takes place and can then apply for attendance. Many buyers specify their areas of product interest at the outset.

Buyers receive details of the companies applying for meetings and have the chance to check out their websites, enabling them to decide if a meeting is worthwhile.

So both sides know something of each other's business and the buyer knows they are meeting the relevant export contact.

If you have a suggestion of buyers to target or would like more details about 'Meet the Buyer' days contact Charlie@petquip.com