Derbyshire eco-furniture business heads to Beijing
Full Grown will be exhibiting some of its grown furniture at the Beijing Expo 2019
Derbyshire-based sustainable furniture company, Full Grown, will be exhibiting some of its furniture at the Beijing Expo 2019 as a permanent pop-up.
The UK Garden has received almost 450,000 visitors, including business and government leaders from across China. This presents a great opportunity for Full Grown’s founders Gavin and Alice Munro to seek out buyers in this blossoming luxury furniture market.
Full Grown shape and graft bespoke, sustainable furniture from trees to sell to individuals, galleries and museums. Officially founded in 2012, the company soon realised its product range, which now encompasses chairs, lamps, tables and sculptures, had strong appeal outside of the UK.
The business started working with the Department for International Trade in 2016 and now exports to 10 countries including France, Germany and Norway, as well as locations further afield such as Hong Kong and the US.
Gavin Munro, founder at Full Grown said:
We were introduced to the Beijing Expo 2019 through a DIT reception with Liam Fox at Lancaster House in December. We have since been discussing exhibiting our products at the expo for some time and DIT are kindly supporting our appearance at the expo.
The expo will provide us valuable opportunities to show our products to a new audience in China – and allow us to publicise our company and products at the UK Garden and Pavilion that shares the same cause that we do: innovating for a greener future.
Richard Burn, DIT’s HM Trade Commissioner for China said:
China is the perfect market for Full Grown to explore. Chinese consumers currently purchase a third of global luxury products and have an increased awareness of eco-friendly goods.
The UK’s Garden and Pavilion will provide the perfect setting to showcase these organically grown lamps and chairs. Not only do they represent the creativity and innovation found in UK companies that make us a world leader in low carbon development, but they also resonate with our core theme of ‘Innovating for a Greener Future’. I hope visitors to the Expo can come and enjoy these innovative products amidst the tranquil surroundings of the UK Garden.
Further information
DIT Press Office
newsdesk@trade.gov.uk +44 (0)20 7008 2000 Follow us: @tradegovuk | gov.uk/dit
Notes to editors
The Beijing Expo 2019
The Beijing Expo is the largest event taking place globally this year, running from 29 April to 7 October 2019. The theme for the UK Garden and Pavilion is ‘Live Green, Live Better’.
Over 100 countries and international organisations are participating in this horticultural expo, alongside Chinese provinces, municipalities, commercial organisations and scientific and academic institutions. It will be hosted by the Chinese government and the Beijing Municipality.
It will be the biggest Horticultural Expo the world has seen with over 16 million visitors expected, of which 20% will be international, to the 500-hectare site.
The Department for International Trade
The Department for International Trade (DIT) secures UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade. We are an international economic department, responsible for:
- Bringing together policy, promotion and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment, and help businesses succeed
- Delivering a new trade policy framework for the UK as we leave the EU
- Promoting British trade and investment across the world
- Building the global appetite for British goods and services
- Between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2019, more than 230,000 jobs were created and safeguarded as a result of foreign direct investment projects supported by DIT and its predecessor. Source: DIT Inward Investment Results 2018 to 2019
- Between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2019, DIT and its predecessor has helped UK businesses export goods and services worth around £99 billion. Source: DIT Annual Report 2018-19
- Using analysis by the Institute for Economic Affairs, it is estimated that this could potentially generate around £32 billion for the Exchequer *To date, the UK has signed or agreed in principle agreements with countries that account for 63% of the UK’s trade with all the countries with which the UK is seeking continuity for a potential No Deal.
Updates to this page
Published 22 July 2019Last updated 24 July 2019 + show all updates
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The exhibition is a permanent pop-up.
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First published.