Electrification and decarbonisation emerge as lucrative ventures in the race towards a sustainable future. But what does it take to turn the tide toward net zero? And how can we navigate the turbulent waters of green transition? On 13 June, we are delighted to invite you to the second seminar in a series of events addressing [...]

Europe’s economy is recovering from years of volatility but is hardly out of the woods. What is the current state of Europe? Where is the European economy heading? And what are the challenges and opportunities? On 21 May, BSCC is delighted to invite you to a breakfast seminar hosted by Intrum. During the seminar, we [...]

On 24 May, the BSCC welcomed members to the second event on Legal AI, Copyright Implications of Machine Learning. Together with Imogen Ireland, Senior Associate at Hogan Lovells, Tobias Kempas, Counsel at Vinge, Lavan Thasarathakumar, Senior Advisor at Hogan Lovells, and Alastair Shaw, Counsel at Hogan Lovells, we discussed the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property (IP), and regulatory [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

UK Government postpone post-Brexit border controls The UK government has informed port authorities that critical health and safety checks for EU imports will not be implemented when post-Brexit border controls begin this month, citing the risk of significant disruption. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) outlined a plan to avoid queues of [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

UK economy grows for 2nd consecutive month in February A lucrative couple of months for the manufacturing industry has resulted in the UK economy growing for the 2nd month in February. According to the latest Office for National Statistics figures, GDP rose by 0.1% between January and February. In February, manufacturing output increased by 1.2%, [...]

H.E. Ms. Judith Gough, British Ambassador to Sweden and the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce cordially invite all members to the AGM followed by a drinks reception at the British Ambassador’s Residence.  We are pleased to welcome Micael Johansson, President and CEO of Saab as guest of honour and speaker. Mr. Johansson will be addressing Collaboration [...]

On 9 April, the BSCC, together with Business Region Gothenburg, InPress, Invest in Skåne, and Stockholm Business Region, welcomed members and partners to the first seminar in our series of events addressing the complexities of the world ahead. Together with Niklas Persson, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for BU Grid Integration at Hitachi Energy, [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

Ministry of Defence looks to shake things up Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartilidge stated that overseas sales prospects would get more weighting when the Ministry of Defence assesses various bids for new weapons as it looks to implement major reforms. Britain has had a disastrous history of buying weapons with “exquisite procurement”, whereby extra [...]

EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. It primarily provides assurance, tax, information technology services (including managed services in areas like Cybersecurity, Cloud, Digital Transformation and AI), consulting, and advisory services to its clients. The company's purpose is to build a better working world. The insights and services they provide [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

Pause on minimum wage rising The British government has announced a shift away from using minimum wage increases to narrow income disparities, opting for a slower rise to alleviate pressure on employers following this year's nearly 10% jump. In April, the minimum wage will increase next week by 9.8% to £11.44 per hour, affecting around 3 million [...]

On 26 March, the BSCC, as a supporting partner, attended the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK's event 'Welcome to the UK 2024', hosted by EY. The event brought together start-ups and scaleups with experts in their respective fields, the discussions ranged from the practicalities of setting up your business in the UK, navigating [...]

Erika Rennel Björkman is a graphic designer, who started her career at Pentagram Design in London after leaving Bergh’s School of Communication in 1992. After a formative period at Pentagram, Erika set up her own design studio and has since worked in a broad range of industries – hospitality, professional services, manufacturing to mention but [...]

British retail sales remain steady in February despite expectations In February, British retail sales unexpectedly remained unchanged, signalling stability amid improving consumer confidence in financial outlooks. This was attributed to a slowdown in inflation and anticipated interest rate reductions. According to the Office for National Statistics, retail sales volumes remained flat, standing 1.3% below pre-pandemic [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

By adopting AI technology, companies worldwide are transforming the way they conduct business. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are some of the most disruptive technologies ever created and can be used in industries ranging from banking and finance to media and marketing. But what is Artificial Intelligence in practice, and how can it offer workable [...]

On behalf of The British Embassy in Stockholm and BSCC Patron member GSK we are thrilled to extend the invitation to an exclusive afternoon event on how to jointly prevent and combat AMR and increased healthcare resilience.  AMR is one of the top ten threats to global health according to the World Health Organization. Rising [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

UK public inflation expectations fall In the spring, the average British person expected the inflation rate to be 3%, down from 3.3% in November, as recorded by the Bank of England (BoE) survey published this week. This reached close to the average over the last 21 years between 2000-2021, which was 2.8%, and the lowest [...]

On 13 March, the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Edrington Sweden welcomed members to the annual BSCC whisky tasting. During the evening, we learned about the history of the Macallan, the whisky-making process and tasted a selection of their single malt whiskys. We would like to extend our gratitude to Edrington Sweden for hosting us and [...]

UK shift in green policy Rishi Sunak has backed investing more in gas-fired power plants as he wants to take a cautious approach in tackling climate change. Sunak stated this week that he would not “gamble” with the UK’s energy security whilst still attaining the goal of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2035. The secretary [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

On Wednesday, 6 March, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, presented the UK Government's Spring Budget. In the Budget, the Government addresses various economic challenges, including post-pandemic recovery and global inflation. To tackle these issues, they're implementing policies outlined in their 2023 goals, such as reducing inflation, bolstering growth, and decreasing debt. The Spring [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from our new Patron member Groth & Co, ImagineCare, and BDO Sweden. In an interview with Swedish Marketing Federation, Karin Engström, Head of Marketing & Communications at Groth & [...]

On 21 February, Sophie Dow was honoured with HM The King Carl XVI Gustaf’s medal of the 8th order, adorned with a high blue ribbon, in recognition of her ’substantial contributions to society.’ In 2018, Sophie Dow was awarded the BSCC Annual Award for her outstanding efforts in strengthening UK-Sweden relations. Throughout her professional career, [...]

We are delighted to present our new Patron member, Groth & Co.   Groth & Co has been creating and optimising intellectual property rights since 1869. This makes them Scandinavia’s first IP adviser. They are a modern and internationally awarded IP law firm offering personal advice in all IP areas. They have experts in trademarks, [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

UK trade decline Since records began in 1997, the last 5-year period has seen the lowest volume of imports and exports. The volume of both exports and imports was 7.4% lower in 2023 than in 2018, with economists highlighting that Brexit has reduced bilateral flows. This trend is also unlike that of most advanced countries, [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

Food industry warns against new Post Brexit policy The British government plans for all meat and dairy products sold in the UK to be labelled as "not for EU" consumption. Food and Drink Federation stated the policy would cost hundreds of millions of pounds as food costs would spike, making investing in domestic food manufacturing [...]

On 21 February, The BSCC and PA Consulting welcomed our members to Hotel Diplomat for our Redefining Boards in the Age of AI - Seminar. The seminar was the second part of our series on artificial intelligence and covered the crucial question of whether our Boards and top teams are equipped for the strategic challenges [...]

We are thrilled to extend our congratulations to Sophie Dow, Magdalena Gerger, and Fredrik Hillelson for the prestigious honour of being awarded HM the King Carl XVI Gustaf's medals. Sophie Dow has been awarded HM The King Carl XVI Gustaf's medal of the 8th size, adorned with a bright blue ribbon, in recognition of her [...]

We are delighted to welcome our newest member to the Chamber: Wes. Wes contributes to creating successful companies by helping clients recruit the best talents, and serving as a partner in leadership and strategic consulting — and specialise in diversity and inclusion. With deep knowledge and commitment, Wes helps clients and candidates think outside the [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

British retail rebound  Retail sales fell by 3.3% in December 2023 due to a lack of consumer confidence. However, they have since rebounded, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics. Sales rebounded by 3.4% in January which represents the most significant rise since April of 2021. This rise was mostly surged by [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

UK Jobs data unreliable The UK statistics ‘Watchdog’ claims that labour market data is very unreliable, which has led to a long period of uncertainty for UK ministers and businesses, and senior members of the Office for Statistics Regulation that the stats are far away from where they need to be before they can be [...]

On Wednesday 7 February, The BSCC had the pleasure of hosting the Financial Outlook webinar in collaboration with NatWest. The distinguished speakers, John Briggs, Global Head of Economics and Market Strategy, and Kevin Cummins, Chief US Economist at NatWest, graciously shared their insights into the future of the economy. Some key insights takeaways during the [...]

The Economy Watch is a weekly update dedicated to providing our members with a summary of key economic developments from the previous week. By focusing on Sweden and England, the update serves as a valuable resource for staying informed on economic news and trends. RIKSBANK MAINTAINS POLICY RATE AT 4.0% The Riksbank announced the retention [...]

The Policy Watch is a weekly update which aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet comprehensive summary of key developments affecting policy decisions and political trends in the UK, Sweden, and the EU. The UK Watch [...]

UK Carbon price falls The price of UK carbon emission permits dropped to an all-time low when it hit £31.48/ tonne of carbon dioxide due to tame winter temperatures, leading to less demand on energy suppliers needing permits to cover any spike in energy usage over the winter period. The price has dropped by 43% [...]

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming our members to the fourth event in our series on Geopolitics and Security, hosted by Kreab Stockholm. During the evening, we had the opportunity to listen to our excellent guest speakers, Christian Hedelin and Frédéric Cho, who shared their expertise and perspectives on the current geopolitical and geoeconomic state of the world. [...]

We are happy to present the first edition of The Policy Watch, a new weekly update on the most important policy news from the previous week. "The Policy Watch" aims to provide concise insights into the current policy landscape. Tailored for our members and individuals interested in international affairs, this update offers a brief yet [...]

UK halts Canada trade talks The UK has paused trade talks with Canada, leaving UK farmers with reduced access to Canadian markets. The suspension in talks is because Canada demanded concessions on hormone-treated beef, which is blocked by UK legislation. This is the first time trade talks with another country have broken down post-Brexit. The [...]

On behalf of His Majesty’s Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Sweden, H.E. Ms Judith Gough, and the Scandinavian LGBT Chamber of Commerce (SGLCC), we are delighted to extend the invitation to Afternoon Tea at His Majesty’s Ambassador’s Residence. The event will highlight the important role of businesses in championing equality and creating inclusive workplaces [...]

On Tuesday, the BSCC and Cirio welcomed our Patron members to an Executive Forum Roundtable with guest of honour and speaker, Sara Mazur, director at Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Sara Mazur explained the vital work and contribution of the Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation to Swedish research and education since 1917, guided by the [...]

Sunak on Rwanda asylum and immigration bill Rishi Sunak has not revealed whether he expects asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda before the upcoming autumn elections. On Wednesday this week, the Rwanda bill saw a government majority in the House of Commons, which should have reinforced the political initiative. However, this was undermined by [...]

The BSCC network encapsulates knowledge and expertise from a vast array of sectors. We are therefore always eager to present the latest news from our members. This week we share updates from Vinge, Novare Human Capital, and SAAB. Vinge Female-run businesses in low – and middle-income countries tend to have bleak prospects in acquiring loan [...]

Post Office Scandal The Post Office faces potential insolvency due to a possible £100 million tax bill following the postmaster's scandal. The scandal was an almost 20-year period of theft, false accounting and fraud due to the faulty post office's horizon accounting software. The Post Office has tried to claim tax relief on the compensation [...]

We are delighted to introduce are newest members Accello and JEBcom. Accello's mission is to help B2B businesses make a big impact in Sweden and the Nordic countries. Specializing in connecting IT, finance, manufacturing, and tech businesses with these markets, Accello offers deep local insights and tailored strategies to ensure companies stand out in these [...]

Investor AB, founded by the Wallenberg family in 1916, creates value for people and society by building strong and sustainable companies. Jacob Lund is Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer at Investor AB. Jacob has extensive experienced within strategic communications and corporate affairs, with more than 25 years of experience from media, agency and in-house. {{ [...]

Electric cars share of UK market falls Manufacturers are feeling doubts over whether they can reach new green targets as electric cars share of Uk market falls for the first time annually. The share UK market has been rising each year and reached a peak of 16.6% of annual sales in 2022. In 2023, the [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to invite you to the fourth seminar in our series on security & geopolitics. Following on from previous seminars, Christian Hedelin, Chief Strategy Officer, Saab, together with Frédéric Cho, Vice Chair, Sweden-China Trade Council will share perspectives on the emerging security & geopolitical landscape. The seminar is generously hosted by Kreab. Date: 31 January 2024 Time: [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to invite you to the second follow-up session on the emerging security and geopolitical landscape with speakers: Christian Hedelin, Head of Strategy at Saab, Patrik Jotun, Director at Swedish Center for Russian Studies, Mattias Hedwall, Head of the International Commercial & Trade Group at Baker McKenzie Advokatbyrå. At this seminar participants will be provided [...]

UK Business activity Rise  Economic output in the final quarter was expected to fall by most economists due to the slump in output from the manufacturing industry. However, the S&P Global flash UK composite output index, which measures the success of both services and manufacturing industries, has shown otherwise. It rose from 50.7 to 51.7 [...]

Conservatives split over immigration policies  Division within the Conservative party exacerbated this week just before the vote on legislation aimed to revitalise plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The original deal was announced in April last year where some asylum seekers arriving in the UK would be sent to Rwanda for processing and they [...]

Yesterday the BSCC and H.E. Ms. Judith Gough welcomed members to the BSCC Annual Christmas Reception and Award Ceremony hosted at the Ambassador’s residence. It was lovely to see so many of you yesterday and we would like to extend many thanks to all of our members for your contribution and support throughout the year. [...]

On Monday 4 December, we had the privilege of welcoming our Patron members to the BSCC Annual Patrons' Dinner. The event featured Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars, as our guest of honour and speaker. We extend many thanks to Jim Rowan for sharing valuable insights gleaned from Volvo Cars' remarkable journey. His remarks shed [...]

Last week, members of the BSCC Young Patrons had the privilege of attending the British Swedish Summit 2023 in London. This summit served as a platform for engaging discussions on leadership in contemporary society, bringing together notable figures such as business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, and academics from both Sweden and Britain. Our gratitude goes to [...]

Saudi PIF and Ardian heavy investment  Ferrovial announced this week that it would be selling its 25% stake in Heathrow airport for £2.4 billion. The stake will be acquired by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund who will take a £1 billion stake along with one of Europe’s biggest private equity groups (Ardian) who will buy [...]

On 28 November, we had the pleasure to collaborate with Fogel & Partners on organising “The World Ahead 2024” with Tom Standage. We were delighted to welcome Tom, the Editor of The World Ahead, Deputy Editor of the Economist and author of seven history books, on stage. The event was generously hosted by Mannheimer Swartling [...]

UK Investment Boost Over 200 executives are set to attend a summit in London this week including Goldman Sachs Chief executive David Solomon. At the summit, designed to showcase the UK’s appeal to investors, Rishi Sunak will announce that the Uk have been pledged £30 billion in investment pledges by international companies. The bank of [...]

On 22 November, the BSCC had the pleasure to collaborate with the Swedish Institute of Trade and Law on organising an Update on Anglo-Swedish Trade at Setterwalls’ office in Stockholm. We were delighted to have Sir Ivan Rogers, former Senior Civil Servant from the United Kingdom, share his many valuable insights with us. Sir Ivan [...]

Hellman St Clair is a strategic, creative consultancy, founded by Anna Hellman and Felicity Willetts. They work closely with brands to help them successfully navigate the major challenges that businesses and wider society experience today and in the future. Working with a highly skilled, diverse network of creatives, they take a multi-disciplinary approach to brand [...]

Within the BSCC network there exists extensive knowledge and expertise. We are always eager to share relevant knowledge, news and useful information. This week we are happy to share updates from Springy, Bonde Advokater and Mannheimer Swartling. Springy Springy has recently been chosen by Svenska Dagbladet and Carnegie as one of the ten finalists in [...]

Huge UK infrastructure boost The UK government announced this week that up to 55 areas would be allocated almost £1 billion of the ‘levelling up fund’ which aims to bolster the economic growth and prospects in struggling areas. This flagship fund was created by former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and this injection into the UK [...]

Political reshuffling British home secretary, Suella Braverman was sacked this week after she criticised the police for being too lenient towards Pro-Palestinian protesters which piled on the pressure for Rishi Sunak to make the move. This move has resulted in a major reshuffle with former foreign secretary, James Cleverly replacing Braverman at the Home Office. [...]

On 8 November, the BSCC had the pleasure of organising an industry focus event with SEB’s CEO and President Johan Torgeby, at the SEB offices in Stockholm. Mr. Torgeby discussed the development of the financial industry in both Sweden and the UK. He outlined the challenges and opportunities that the financial markets are facing currently, [...]

Stockholm Business School (SBS), Stockholm University delivers executive education programmes to mid-senior level executives across all sectors. In addition to its internationally accredited Executive MBA programme, it co-founded the national AI for Executives programme and has been partnered with the European Club Association (ECA) in delivering business education to leaders of Europe's most successful football [...]

UK house prices rise The UK house prices have been dropping since April this year and only last month they were 5.3% lower than what they were a year before that. For the first time in months, house prices unexpectedly rose by 0.9% which is as a result of the lack of properties to sell [...]

UK shop price inflation lowers Falling prices in items like homegrown food has seen UK shop price inflation fall to its lowest rate in over 12 months. The British Retail Consortium announced this week that annual shop price inflation dropped to 5.2% from 6.2% just last month. This has meant that it is the fifth [...]

On Tuesday, 24 October the Chamber, together with BSCC Patron Member, Stena AB welcomed members and partners to the BSCC Gothenburg Chapter with speakers and guest of honour Cecilia Malmström, Former Minister for European Union Affairs of Sweden, and Johan Trouvé, CEO, the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce. Dan Sten Olsson, CEO, Stena AB welcomed [...]

The Swedish Parliament has approved a new law aimed at safeguarding national security by scrutinizing foreign direct investments. This law, effective from December 1, 2023, covers sensitive sectors like critical infrastructure, defence, and security-related activities. It grants the authority the power to review and potentially prohibit foreign investments affecting Sweden's security interests. Foreign direct investments [...]

UK rent disparity Official date shows the extent of the rent crisis in the UK and how unaffordable it is. This is demonstrated by how data shows that in the last 18 months, housing costs in London accounted for 35% of the income of those tenants living there. This huge part of tenants’ income is [...]

On Tuesday, 17 October we welcomed members to a conference addressing the strategic challenges of competitive AI. With expert input from: Alasdair Ross, Countries Editor, The Economist  – The World Ahead; Anna Mossberg, Board Professional and Advisor; Dr. Ian Richardson, Director of Executive Education at Stockholm Business School, Danica Kragic, Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, [...]

UK involvement in Israel and Palestine As the conflict in Israel and Palestine continues to exacerbate, Britain have deployed naval support in the Mediterranean. The UK have announced plans to deploy two Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels to the area in what has been described by the government as a “contingency measure” in order to both [...]

Within the BSCC network there exists exstensive knowledge and expertise. We are always eager to share relevant knowledge, news and useful information. This week we are happy to share updates from Skanska, and Grand Hotel Stockholm. Grand Hotel Stockholm The Grand Hotel Stockholm has recently garnered the esteemed title of "Northern Europe's Best Hotel." This [...]

UK house price woes UK house prices have dropped for the sixth month in a row according to mortgage provider Halifax. The fall is a result of high interest rates deterring people from borrowing money and this massively reduces the ability to buy homes. The house price fall began in April and this trend has [...]

HS2 setback The UK’s high speed railway line between Manchester and London with branches to Birmingham and the East Midlands has suffered a major blow it its development with massive cuts set to take place in the coming weeks. HS2 was officially launched in 2009 and was projected to be the UK’s biggest infrastructure project, [...]

On 4 October, we are welcoming participants to the final seminar of this year's Young Patrons’ Programme, Strategies in Uncertain Times. Hosted by Eversheds Sutherland, Michael Bahar and Ian Richardsson will discuss how managers can respond to the reality of global complexity and uncertainty. Further, we are looking forward to the YPP London delegation in [...]

Within the BSCC network there exists exstensive knowledge and expertise. We are always eager to share relevant knowledge, news and useful information. This week we are happy to share updates from Diplomat Hotel, Volvo Cars and Westander. Diplomat Hotel Diplomat Hotel is reintroducing its famous Afternoon Tea service. You can now enjoy this delightful experience [...]

Rishi Sunak U-turn The UK has had various policies in place in order to meet its legally binding target of reaching net zero by 2050 such as the ban of sales of new petrol cars by 2030. However, Rishi Sunak announced this week a massive shift in policy regarding net zero policies including the push [...]

On Wednesday, 20 September the Chamber welcomed members to Nordea's head office in Stockholm for a lunch and financial outlook with Annika Winsth, Chief Economist, Nordea. Annika provided participants with a financial outlook of several countries, exploring the underlying factors contributing to their current situations, with a particular emphasis on the economies of Sweden and [...]

UK income gap Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this week showed that the income gap between London and the rest of the UK has reached a record disparity. National income in the UK is at £21,679, however the disparity between the UK as a whole and London is massive as in [...]

UK net zero setback The UK have ambitious targets for renewable energy schemes in order to fulfil their plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. One of the targets is to triple offshore wind capacity to 50 gigawatts by 2030. This target suffered a major blow this week as subsidy auctions for new [...]

UK economic outlook boost The UK’s economic narrative has been extremely pessimistic ever since the seemingly lacklustre post-Covid economic recovery. However, this week saw revised figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which contradicts this narrative. It was found that UK GDP in late 2021 exceeded pre pandemic levels rather than contracting. This [...]

On 31 August, Carl Bildt, former prime minister and Co-chair of the ECFR`s council, delivered a keynote address during the annual event hosted by the BSCC. This gathering, made possible through the generous sponsorship of BNP Paribas and Volvo Cars, provided a platform for Bildt to engage the audience in a thoughtful discussion on contemporary [...]

Migration concerns in the UK The cost of the UK’s asylum system has jumped to almost £4 billion in the last 12 months as a result of record backlog and processing issues. The costs have been exacerbated by a rise in asylum seekers awaiting initial decision with 134,046 cases still under review (35% rise compared to last year). This [...]

We are delighted to introduce are newest members Springy, InPress, Westander, Astute Electronics, EMEA Recruitment. Springy operates as a dynamic marketplace, connecting local businesses with professionals in need of workspaces. By doing so, it not only helps businesses optimise costs but also opens up new audiences. Through an intuitive platform, Springy simplifies the workspace search, promoting collaboration and innovation. This approach [...]

Every Tuesday we will be welcoming members to our office for a breakfast catch up. During the breakfast we look forward to learning more about your industries and what we can do to support, promote and refer you to relevant members. This is a great opportunity to make sure you get the most out of [...]

On 12 September we were delighted to welcome members to a breakfast seminar on the Legal Insights on AI hosted by TM & Partners. The seminar was led by Alexandra Rosell and Karolina Kjellberg, senior associates, and part of the firm's Tech group. Alexandra and Karolina highlighted that rigorous fulfilment of regulatory requirements related to [...]

On 27 June Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly participated in a public seminar, sharing their perspectives on the current security challenges facing Northern Europe. The Foreign Ministers reflected on the consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and how it has impacted Anglo-Swedish cooperation in the fields of foreign [...]

Bank of England Raises Interest Rates The Bank of England (BoE) has increased interest rates to 5.0% following a widely unexpected 50bps raise. Andrew Bailey, the BoE governor, outlined his commitment to using monetary policy to reduce inflation and stated that “We’re not expecting, we’re not desiring a recession, but we will do what is [...]

On Monday 4 September, we welcomed members of the BSCC and AmCham to our annual golf tournament at Djursholms Golfklubb. The teams played the eighteen-hole course and stood to win prizes generously sponsored by; Utmost International, Volvo Cars, Edrington, Grand Hotel Stockholm, Hotel Diplomat, Hilton Slussen Hotel, Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Sheraton Hotel Stockholm, Ford, and [...]

Chancellor Commits To AI Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has pushed for ministers to seize the opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI). The objective is to save money, boost underperforming growth rates and reignite public services. The deputy at the Treasury is now undertaking a report (due before the Autumn Statement) on raising public service productivity with [...]

Ahead of the long-awaited summer holidays, we have asked Senior Associate Rebecca Farkhooy from our member and patron Eversheds Sutherland law firm to provide us with a few employment issues to keep on the radar as we step into the second half of the year. Hybrid working is here to stay – but many employers [...]

Former PM Johnson Resigns On Friday (9th June) former PM Boris Johnson announced that he is standing down, with immediate effect, as an MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (in West London). In his resignation statement he stated that he remained “hugely proud of all that we achieved in my time in office as prime [...]

House Prices Fall UK house prices fell at their fastest annual pace for almost 14 years (since July 2009) in the year to May according to new research by Nationwide. The 3.4% fall comes as a result of mortgage rates continuing to rise as interest rates increase (currently at 4.5%). Nationwide stated that “headwinds to [...]

Supermarket Price Caps The UK Government is at the “drawing board stage” of introducing a scheme that would aim to get retailers to charge the lowest possible amount for some basic products like bread and milk. This suggestion has been attributed to the resilient high levels of inflation for food and non-alcoholic drinks which remains [...]

Global Goes Local assists Swedish employers with work permit applications for non-EU employees and also assists international companies that wish to establish in Sweden with registration of a company or branch and other general legal questions. Ylva Hökerberg Jahnke is a Swedish lawyer and Jolande Svensson-Klijn is a Dutch lawyer. Both Ylva and Jolande have a [...]

We are very pleased to introduce our new member, Scandinavian Trust. Scandinavian Trust offers Corporate Management and Secretarial services to local and foreign business owners. Their clients are international entrepreneurs and global businesses with local personnel, a branch or a holding company in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Key services include domiciliation and directorships, along with [...]

We are delighted to introduce our newest Patron, Fitch Ratings Fitch Rating is a leading provider of credit ratings, commentary, and research. Dedicated to providing value beyond the rating through independent and prospective credit opinions, Fitch Ratings offers global perspectives shaped by strong local market experience and credit market expertise. The additional context, perspective, and [...]

We were happy to provide an employment law training hosted by Eversheds Sutherland. The training was led by Torbjörn Lindmark, Partner and Head of the Employment Law Practice Group, and Rebecca Farkhooy, Senior Associate. The event was hosted in cooperation with the British Embassy Stockholm and Invest Stockholm. During the training session, Torbjörn and Rebecca [...]

G7 in Japan The Hiroshima G7 summit marked continued support and cooperation between the members following rounds of meetings in Japan over the weekend. US President Biden confirmed on Friday (19th May) that the US will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16 fighter jets. The G7 also took a united position [...]

Graeme McCallum is a Patent Attorney and Partner at Potter Clarkson. Graeme’s expertise includes developing and implementing IP strategies, including patents, trade marks and designs, to align with business strategy and maximise portfolio value. Graeme frequently works with multiple stakeholders to optimise the IP strategy, both at a portfolio level and on individual cases to maximise value with [...]

Bank of England Interest Rates The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates to 4.5% on Thursday (11th May) after warning that the UK will not hit its inflation target (2%) until 2025. UK interest rates are now at their highest level since 2008 after the BoE admitted that it had underestimated the persistence [...]

On Wednesday 10 May  H.E. Ms. Judith Gough, British Ambassador to Sweden and the BSCC welcomed members to the Chamber’s AGM. We were delighted to welcome Tobias Billström, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden as guest of honour and speaker. Tobias Billström addressed current priorities and underscored the importance of strong and close partnerships. Joined on [...]

The Coronation Weekend The Coronation of The King and The Queen was conducted at Westminster Abbey on Saturday (6th May). The service incorporated longstanding traditions and pageantry with forward-looking adjustments in front of 2,300 guests. Over 100 heads of state were in attendance for Europe’s only royal family who continue to host coronations. Over 7,000 [...]

Aberdeen’s Net Zero Port The Port of Aberdeen, established in 1136, is investing £55m to become the UK’s first net zero port by 2040. Specifically, the port is targeting net zero emissions from the port’s operations and from vessels visiting the port. The initiative will work to promote low carbon alternative fuels through trials of [...]

On 18 April, the BSCC had the pleasure of organising an industry focus event with Saab’s CEO Micael Johansson, at their offices in Stockholm. After discussing Saab’s commitment to protecting societies and openness, Mr. Johansson laid out his strategy of a more focussed product offering and talked about SAAB’s core areas – aeronautics, sensors, and [...]

UK Economy Above Pre-Pandemic Levels Revised figures for January now reveal that UK GDP is 0.3% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. New data also suggests an increased likelihood that growth outpaced forecasts in the first three months of 2023. Last month, the fiscal watchdog warned that Q1 of 2023 would show a 0.4% contraction [...]

Glen is President of the Husqvarna Division. Since joining Husqvarna in 2002, Glen has held various positions including Vice President Global Sales & Services, Husqvarna Division 2016–2018, VP & CFO Husqvarna Division 2014–2017 and VP & CFO EMEA, 2013– 2014. {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Glen&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Fglen-instone-648aa81b%252F%253ForiginalSubdomain%253Dse }}What trends do you see for the autumn within your line of [...]

UK Retail The number of shoppers visiting stores at the weekend increased 9.7% in March compared to the previous year, according to the British Retail Consortium. However, this still remains 10.2% below pre-pandemic levels which has been attributed to the rise in online shopping and the “challenging economic environment”. The change in working patterns, with [...]

On Wednesday 5 April, the BSCC had the pleasure of hosting a financial outlook with Handelsbanken at their office in Stockholm. The economic and real estate outlook was given by Johan Löf, Head of Forecasting and Senior Economist at Handelsbanken. Prior to joining Handelsbanken, Johan worked at both the Riksbank and the Ministry of Finance. [...]

Erik is an Adjunct Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics and an active member of the Chamber. {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Erik&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Ferik-lagerl%2525C3%2525B6f-5b0353205%252F%253ForiginalSubdomain%253Dse }}What trends do you see for the spring within your line of business? The conditions for international trade and investment are facing considerable changes. The EU’s focus on strategic autonomy, Brexit, serious security concerns [...]

UK Commercial Property Dealmaking Rises In the first quarter of 2023, investors pumped £6bn into UK office, retail and industrial buildings following record lows in Q4 of 2022. However, dealmaking is still equal to around half of its 10 year average- partially as a result of central London property declining in value and the cost [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from Intrum and BCC. Intrum has received a B score in Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a higher score than the global average as well as among other credit management [...]

New First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf MSP on Tuesday (27th March) was elected as the new leader of the Scottish National party (SNP) and will shortly take the role of First Minister of Scotland. The 37 year-old health secretary won a final round ballot of SNP members (52.1% versus 47.9%) and was seen as [...]

Jonas Gram was previously Brand Ambassador for The Macallan Denmark at Edrington and has now been Ambassador for the Nordics since 2021. Jonas is based in Copenhagen and frequently visits Stockholm, welcoming enthusiasts to experience The Macallan. This week we had the opportunity to learn more about what trends Jonas sees in his line of business. {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Jonas&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Fjonasgram%252F }}What trends do you [...]

We are delighted to introduce our newest members, Henkel and Läkarintyg Direkt. Henkel operates worldwide with leading innovations, brands and technologies in two business areas: Adhesive Technologies and Consumer Brands. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 145 years of success. The company holds leading positions with its two business units in both [...]

The Spring Budget The chancellor (Hunt) last Wednesday, 15th March, delivered his Spring Budget with major policy announcements featuring the introduction of free childcare for youngsters (under the age of three) as one of the key commitments targeted at bringing back people to work. Additionally, Hunt increased the annual tax-free pension allowance (from £40,000 to [...]

UK Economy Rebounds The UK economy beat forecasts for GDP growth in January with a 0.3% expansion (ahead of 0.1% forecast) as a result of the service sector rising 0.5% due to strong performances from the education, transport and health activities sectors. PM Sunak, from Paris, described the result as “showing encouraging signs that things [...]

The British Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Edrington welcomed members of the Chamber to experience ‘the liquid gold from Scotland’, better known as Single Malt Scotch Whisky, during the annual BSCC whisky tasting on 9 March. Edrington highlighted the classic whisky producers from Speyside and welcomed members to experience The Macallan. Beyond an extraordinary whisky [...]

On 8 March we celebrated the International Women's Day in partnership with Global Thinkers Forum, Malmö University and Athena40 - A Platform for Visionary Leadership. Connecting speakers from around the world to discuss innovation, change & education for women in the digital age. The panel connecting from Malmö was moderated by Maria Tibblin and included: Rebecka Lettevall, Pro Vice-Chancellor [...]

US Calls for Revived UK Trade Talks Senior lawmakers in Washington are pushing for a reignition of US-UK trade talks following the successfully negotiated Windsor agreement over Northern Ireland. On Thursday (2nd March) a Democratic senator introduced legislation to give the US president the authority to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK. [...]

Businesses in Northern Ireland (NI) and Great Britain (GB) do not like the current protocol arrangements because of issues related to customs, documentation, VAT etc. on the movement of goods. Businesses want a permanent agreement that can provide stability and certainty and that reduces paperwork and checks for goods only sold or consumed in NI. [...]

Northern Ireland Trade Deal PM Sunak on Monday, 27th February, announced a “new chapter” in UK-EU relations after agreeing upon the ‘Windsor framework’ to change the existing Northern Ireland protocol. The details of the agreement are currently being reviewed by MPs with senior members within the party, such as former PM Theresa May MP, calling [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates and congratulate BNP Paribas, Fogel & Partners, and Vattenfall on recent achievements. BNP Paribas Bank of the Year. BNP Paribas has, by the British publication IFR, been awarded the [...]

First Minister of Scotland Resigns The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, resigned last week (15th February) which will trigger the party’s first leadership contest in almost 20 years. The SNP control 45 (of 59) Scottish seats in the House of Commons and are in control of [...]

UK Economy Avoids Recession The UK narrowly avoided entering a recession in 2022 following zero growth (0%) in the fourth quarter of the year; although, the Bank of England (BoE) forecasts the UK to fall into a short and shallow recession this year. The chancellor described the economy as demonstrating an “underlying resilience” but warned [...]

On Tuesday 14 February, the BSCC had the pleasure of welcoming members to a financial outlook with Barclays at their office in Stockholm. The briefing was given by Mr. Christian Keller, Managing Director and Head of Economics Research at Barclays. Mr. Keller’s run-down of the financial situation could be summarised by a positive start to [...]

In 2018 BSCC awarded Sophie Dow,  BSCC member and founder of the Salvesen Mindroom Centre in Edinburgh, our Annual Award for her organisations work to help and support children and young adults who are neurodivergent. The organisation works locally, nationally and internationally. The Salvesen Mindroom Centre continue to promote Neurodiversity and are now organising  a wide-ranging  international [...]

FTSE100 Hits All-Time High The UK’s FTSE100 share index has beaten its 2018 peak with a 6.1% rise so far in 2023. Last year the blue-chip index was also the best-performing developed market index (in local currency terms) with an almost 1% rise- in a year in which the US’s S&P 500 declined around 20%. [...]

We are delighted to introduce our newest members Global Child Forum, Graz Solutions and LucyJRobertshaw. Graz Solutions specializes in fintech solutions for handling and optimizing financial data processes. Over the past 15 years, Graz has become the go-to place for fintech solutions in the Nordics, serving banks, insurance- and fund management companies. Graz’s team of [...]

Yesterday we welcomed members to the third seminar in our series on geopolitics and security. The speakers, Christian Hedelin, Chief Strategy Officer at Saab together with Mattias Hedwall, Head of the International Commercial & Trade Group at Baker McKenzie Advokatbyrå provided the highly engaged audience with an update on the current geopolitical landscape. We would [...]

UK Strikes On the 1st February (Wednesday) the UK will face it’s biggest day of strikes this winter as workers stage a co-ordinated walk out in sectors ranging from rail, teaching and universities. This comes in response to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who represent the UK’s organised labour movement, protesting the government’s anti-strike legislation [...]

On Tuesday we were very happy to welcome members to the first BSCC event of the year. No better start than looking at The World Ahead with Tom Standage, Editor of The World Ahead Economist publication and Deputy Editor of The Economist.  In The World Ahead 2023 correspondents and outside experts consider the interlocking challenges facing the [...]

Britishvolt Collapse Britishvolt was Britain’s first major homegrown battery producer but collapsed last week after failing to raise enough cash following multiple emergency funding rounds. The business, founded by two Swedes, was branded as Britain’s best chance of producing a domestic champion for the current electric car market expansion. More than a dozen businesses are [...]

We are delighted to present our newest members Baker & Associates, Futur Pension, Novare Human Capital, and Scandicorp. Baker & Associates offer corporate advice and services related to governance and diversity. They have in-depth experience of sustainability, regulatory compliance, marketing, communications, talent management, sales and manufacturing. Futur Pension is a digitalised Swedish insurance company. They [...]

UK Economy Rebounds Data published on Friday (13th January) revealed that the UK economy unexpectedly grew in November. Overall, the economy expanded by 0.1% due to a rise in demand for services in the tech sector (telecoms and computer programming) and the increased footfall for hospitality from the World Cup. This is despite economists predicting [...]

UK Space Launch On Monday (9th January) the UK began it’s first ever orbital space launch. A repurposed Virgin Atlantic 747 jet released a rocket over the Atlantic to launch nine satellites into Space. The company leading this is Virgin Orbit, founded by Sir Richard Branson, and began at Newquay Airport in Cornwall. Following the [...]

James moved to Sweden from the UK at the start of the millennium and was a co-founder of The Local in 2004. The Local provides local news and advice for international professionals and expats in nine European countries. James is currently CEO & Publisher at The Local and is also a panelist and regular commentator [...]

The UK in 2022 The UK had an unusual year filled with historic moments and substantial developments in 2022. The nation had three PMs over the course of the year with political stability now restored but polling pushing strongly towards the opposition. The UK and Commonwealth also celebrated HM The Queen’s 70 years on the [...]

Philip  has worked for Handelsbanken for almost 35 years, with much time spent in the UK. Philip held the position of Head of Private Banking – among other positions – in Handelsbanken’s London office. Philip is currently Senior Relationship Manager at Handelsbanken in Stockholm. {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Philip&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Fphilip-sheppard-4aab146%252F }}What trends do you see within your line [...]

UK Strikes Current data from the Financial Times indicates that over one million working days will be lost due to strike action in 2022. This is due to the final three weeks of the year featuring disruption from nurses, transport workers, baggage handlers, postal workers and other sectors going on scheduled strikes. Inevitably, this will [...]

Yesterday the BSCC and H.E. Ms Judith Gough welcomed members to the BSCC Annual Christmas Reception and Award Ceremony hosted at the Ambassador's residence. It was lovely to see so many of you yesterday and we would like to extend many thanks to all of our members for your contribution and support throughout the year. [...]

Brexit Trade Deal Progress The UK government is on track to miss its target for securing post-Brexit trade agreements on 80% of UK trade by the end of 2022. At present, it is set to achieve coverage of 63% of trade which has limited UK exporters since Brexit. The BBC has reported that the 80% [...]

Last week the BSCC Young Patrons 2022 were invited to attend the Swedish-British Summit 2022 in London. The summit brought together business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and academics from Sweden and Britain to discuss leadership in today’s society. It was greatly inspiring to attend and we wish to extend many thanks to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce [...]

The Chamber works with and on behalf of our members and the input from our members play an important role in shaping the agenda of the Chamber. We are grateful to be able to receive feedback on a regular basis when meeting our members at various events, meetings and through our survey. This year we [...]

Scottish Independence Scotland’s first minister, Sturgeon, has campaigned for holding a second referendum on Scottish independence from the UK but last week the Supreme Court ruled that only Westminster could have the legal authority to grant a vote on this. The last referendum, in 2014, showed 55% support for Scotland remaining in the union versus [...]

Sustainability is a rapidly evolving topic shaped by the urgent need to find innovative solutions to global challenges, as well as increasing regulation requiring increased transparency on companies’ sustainability performance. On 24 November the BSCC welcomed members to a webinar on Sustainability Due Diligence with Cederquist law firm. During the webinar the speakers Elsa Arbrandt [...]

It has been a great privilege to be part of the Bright Green Summit organised in cooperation with Mundus International and AmCham Sweden - American Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. The summit has featured great insight from both private and public sector, not least from our member HSBC and the British Ambassador to Sweden. Thank [...]

On Monday evening we had the honour of welcoming representatives from our Patron companies to our Annual Patrons’ Dinner with guest of honour and speaker Peter Carlsson, CEO & Founder, Northvolt. We would like to extend many thanks to Peter Carlsson for sharing great insights from Northvolt’s journey and shedding some light on the challenges and opportunities that lie [...]

Emma is partner at Schjødt law firm. She has ex­ten­sive ex­pe­ri­ence in ad­vis­ing companies in distressed sit­u­a­tions and she also represents clients in connection with insolvency related litigation. She is reg­u­lar­ly ap­point­ed as an administrator in company reorganisation, bankruptcy trustee and liquidator. Emma is a member of the Research Panel for Insolvency Law and Law [...]

UK Recession Looms During Q3 of 2022 the UK economy contracted by 0.2% as rising costs impacted businesses and households. The Bank of England (BoE) forecasts Q4 to also be in decline which would then tip the UK into a “very challenging” two-year recession. This would mark the longest recession since records officially began in [...]

We are delighted to present our newest patron member, RPC (Reynolds Porter Chamberlain). RPC is an international commercial law firm that provides a spectrum of legal services to global business across a wide range of industry sectors and practices. The firm is headquartered in London and has offices in Bristol, Singapore, Hong Kong, and a [...]

UK Economic Outlook The Bank of England (BoE) this week revealed it’s economic outlook for the UK with the nation set to face its longest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The country faces a “very challenging” two-year recession after the BoE believes the UK entered a recession during the summer which it [...]

UK Tax Rises The PM (Sunak) and his Chancellor (Hunt) are said to be exploring tax increases and public spending cuts in a bid to fill the gap in public finances. The budgetary tightening of around £50bn is necessary due to the weak economic forecast delivered last week by the Office for Budget Responsibility. In [...]

Michaël began his career as a doctor where he observed the consequences of poor leadership. Similarly, in the world of business the actions of leaders have large ripple effects. This has motivated Michaël to devote his work towards cultivating positive, powerful and sustainable leadership. Michaël Berglund, the founder of Michaël Berglund Group, a firm specialising [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to a financial outlook with HSBC. HSBC Chief Investment Officer for Switzerland and EMEA, Georgios Leontaris, will present HSBC’s latest views on the economic outlook and he will also identify investment opportunities during this period of disruption and change. We will be joined by Sir [...]

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak On Monday (24th October) The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP was elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party and, therefore, as the UK Prime Minister following the resignation of PM Liz Truss last week. On Tuesday, PM Sunak will travel to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles III whereby [...]

On Thursday 20 October, The BSCC had the pleasure of welcoming members to a hybrid breakfast seminar on the new British Government with Nicola Watkinson from TheCityUK. TheCityUK Represents the private sector interests of the financial and related professional services sector. Nicola Watkinson is Managing Director of the international trade and investment team at TheCityUK.  [...]

We were delighted to have Martin Lundstedt, CEO at Volvo Group, as speaker at our last Industry focused event. The event was generously hosted by Mannheimer Swartling. The theme for this industry focus was the green transition, and Martin Lundstedt generously shared his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities for both Volvo Group and the transport [...]

Jeremy Hunt appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Last Friday (14th October), the Chancellor of the Exchequer was removed by PM Liz Truss after 38 days in the job following substantial turbulence in the financial markets following his mini-Budget. This marked the shortest serving chancellor since 1970. The newly appointed Chancellor is The Right Honourable Jeremy [...]

Rebecca is an Associate in the Employment Law Practice Group at Eversheds Sutherland Advokatbyrå AB. {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Rebecca&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Frebecca-farkhooy-205529188%252F%7C%7C%7C }}What trends do you see for the autumn within your line of business? The pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote working and many companies have now incorporated permanent hybrid working policies. As employment lawyers, we are not [...]

UK Energy Security The UK has opened a new licensing round for companies to explore for oil and gas in the North Sea (along Britain’s East coast) with 898 blocks being offered for exploration. This will result in up to 100 licenses being awarded in a bid to ease consumers’ pain from high energy prices. [...]

Julian Henwood is Partner and Head of European Business Development at Gowling WLG. Julian has over 30 years' experience in project managing significant cross-border corporate transactions for a largely European-headquartered client base - including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and asset purchases and disposals. On 1 May 2018, Julian moved into a new role as [...]

UK Economy Over the last week the UK economy has experienced substantial changes following the Chancellor’s tax-cutting mini-budget. The pound sterling fell to $1.03:£1 on Monday (26th October) due to global markets losing confidence in the UK; however, the Bank of England stepped into the bond market on Thursday with a new programme purchasing £5bn [...]

Oskar is Vice president of Public & Regulatory Affairs at Vattenfall. {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Oskar&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Foskar-ahnfelt-8394881%252F%253ForiginalSubdomain%253Dse%7C%7C%7C }}What trends do you see for the autumn within your line of business? We have an ongoing energy crisis all over Europe, caused by the limited gas supplies from Russia to Europe. All countries are now trying to find ways to [...]

Chancellor’s ‘Mini’ Budget On Friday, 23rd September the new chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, unveiled his substantial plan to get growth back to its historic average of 2.5% per year in a bid to lift living standards and generate more money for public services. The Budget works to reduce the tax burden on both the public [...]

Today marks the first two weeks of the Rt Hon Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss premiership. A new Cabinet is now in place, consisting of both familiar and new faces. The new Government now has 2 years of work ahead, until the next general election in 2024. Since taking office, the Prime Minister has announced three [...]

Charlotte is an entrepreneur, with one foot in the family business, DUX and one foot in new ventures such as the tech start-up Endbright. Charlotte is active as an advisor and board member in several companies and organisations, not least as Vice Chair of the BSCC Executive Board.  {{ vc_btn: title=Click+here+to+connect+with+Charlotte+&color=default&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Fcharlotte-ljung-2b1ab921%252F%7C%7C%7C }}What trends do you see for the [...]

The Queen’s Funeral On Monday, 19th September 2022, The Queen’s state funeral took place at Westminster Abbey in the presence of over 500 heads of state and dignitaries among the 2,000 guests. Her Majesty’s “lifelong sense of duty” was remembered as King Charles III led the televised procession behind his mother’s coffin from Westminster Hall. [...]

On Thursday 8 September the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce welcomed guests to a Late Summer Drinks Reception hosted by Setterwalls. It was great to be able to gather members, colleagues and friends to reconnect after the summer. We would like to extend many thanks to all lovely guests for joining us. We would also like to [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from Edrington and Essity on their commitment to the Race to Zero. Edrington Edrington, announced that it is joining the Carbon Disclosure Project as part of it’s larger strategy [...]

About Liz Truss The Rt Hon Liz Truss has won the race to be the new leader of the Conservative Party and from Tuesday (6th July 2022) will be the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Truss won 57% of the vote on the promise of a “bold plan” to cut taxes and tackle [...]

Claes Berglund has been a senior executive in the shipping industry for 15 years, including leading roles at Stena Line. Previously he worked for 12 years in road-based transport and third-party logistics services. Mr Berglund is also a reserve officer in the Royal Swedish Navy. What trends do you see for the autumn within your [...]

Stockholm Impact Week is an Invest Stockholm, Norrsken Foundation and #sthlmtech with the aim of making Stockholm the home of Impact. Stockholm Impact Week brings together the world’s most impactful and influential startups, talent, investors business leaders and policymakers. Startups leveraging scalable technology are key to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges.  On the [...]

UK Cost of Energy UK households face a new 80% rise in energy bills from October as a typical gas and electricity bill will rise to £3,549 (from £1,971) in October 2022. Ofgem, Britain’s energy regulator, made the announcement on Friday but industry consultants now estimate that this will likely rise up to £6,600 by [...]

Magdalena was appointed Chair of the BSCC at the AGM on 31 May. Magdalena was formerly the President & CEO of Systembolaget AB where she worked from May 2009 until 1st February 2022. Magdalena currently holds non-executive board positions with Investor AB and Peab and she is the Chair of Nefab and of the Royal Academy [...]

PA Consulting Cyber security is a growing concern for businesses and in 2019 the average cost of a serious global breach amounted to $3.9m. A cost that is expected to rise in the future. In a recent interview , Carl Nightingale, Cyber Security Expert at PA Consulting encouraged businesses to start seriously considering investing in [...]

Cash Usage The sharp fall in the use of cash during the pandemic has now steadied as consumers return to their previous method of paying for goods. Debit and credit cards were used for 57% of all payments in the UK in 2021 which represents a total reversal from the 55% usage of cash in [...]

Yesterday we welcomed members to the second seminar in our series on geopolitics and security. The seminar was generously sponsored by Schjödt. Christian Hedelin, Head of Strategy at Saab together with Patrik Jotun, Director at the Swedish Center for Russian Studies provided the highly engaged audience with an update and in-depth perspectives on the current [...]

UK Economy Contracted in Q2 The UK economy, between April and June, shrunk 0.1% according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was attributed to COVID schemes (such as Test and Trace) ending, declining retail sales and reduced economic productivity caused by the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday. The UK is not officially in [...]

Hiring Slowdown July saw the slowest increase in the number of permanent jobs being filled for 17 months. KPMG have highlighted that recruiters are increasingly tentative about hiring new staff; this was also attributed to continued skills shortages along with a hesitancy from candidates to move jobs now. Overall, this is expected to culminate with [...]

UK’s Next PM Following the resignation of PM Johnson, on 7th July 2022, the ruling Conservative Party launched the contest for the new leader. PM Johnson will remain leader until the 5th of September but will leave “major fiscal decisions” to the next prime minister. Currently, paying members of the Conservatives (approximately 180,000) are in [...]

Inflation Rates UK inflation has risen at its fastest rate for 40 years as food costs have risen 8.5% since May 2021. Items such as Pasta (up 16.1%), Butter (up 13.1%) and eggs (up 12.6%) are some of the most impacted by inflation which contributes to the average annual grocery bill in the UK rising [...]

Railway Strikes Around 50% of Great Britain’s railway network will be operational when staff walk out on strike this week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are leading strikes over disputes on pay and redundancies. This will also coincide with a strike on Tuesday (21st June) across London’s Underground. [...]

We are proud to welcome Mundus International as members of the BSCC. Mundus International provides news and analysis of the Nordics for an international audience. They work with governments, corporates and institutions, helping them make better decisions, by being up-to-date and in understanding political and economic drivers. Through their standard portfolio, they cover the short-term [...]

We are delighted to present our newest Patron member, BNP Paribas. BNP Paribas is a leading global European bank and is firmly established locally as the global bank with the strongest presence on the ground in Sweden. Today the group has over 900 people in the Nordic region across seven business areas: Corporate and Institutional [...]

Recently, Skanska signed a contract worth about SEK 610M with the Development Office at the City of Stockholm to build a new quay, Saltkajen, in Stockholm. This project is part of the development of the area Norra Djurgårdsstaden where the old port and industrial area is being transformed into a modern and environmentally friendly district. [...]

As a global automobile leader, Volvo Group has taken a leap forward in terms of the race to net zero and green transition. The company aims to reduce their emissions already from the start of their value chain, with the materials and equipment that are used in their automobile production. Today, the global steel industry [...]

We are proud to introduce our newest member company, CropRising. CropRising's mission is to make the current food supply chain more resilient and sustainable by using technology to reduce food waste and optimize crop yield. CropRising is a newly founded startup with a lot of passion and the attitude to fix long-term problems for society, [...]

Northern Ireland Protocol PM Johnson will soon publish plans to scrap parts of the post-Brexit deal which he secured with the European Union in 2020. The PM’s motivation is to make it easier for some goods to move between Britain and Northern Ireland. However, the EU has expressed strong disapproval towards the move and stated [...]

Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee On the 6th February 2022 Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee which marks 70 years of service to the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. This historic anniversary featured a four day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday (2nd June) to [...]

In discussions with our members and other UK and Swedish companies, we have picked up an increasing need for a guide to navigate the new rules which apply to UK companies wanting to establish and expand on the Swedish market. We hope this Guide will do just that. The British Embassy, the BSCC and Invest [...]

We are honoured to welcome Magdalena Gerger as the new Chair of the BSCC Executive Board. Magdalena was appointed at the Annual General Meeting which took place at the British Ambassador's Residence on 31 May. With Magdalena’s vast experience from working in various industries, within the UK and Sweden, she comes well equipped to carry [...]

Platinum Jubilee Celebrations The build up to the Platinum Jubilee, which is officially commemorated on the 5th of June, continues to excite the public with widespread celebrations already beginning across the country. Britain’s largest pub chain, Greene King, has chosen to offer pints for £0.06 at 408 sites as this was the average cost of [...]

On Tuesday 31 May, the BSCC and H.E. Judith Gough, British Ambassador to Sweden welcomed BSCC members to the BSCC 68th Annual General Meeting at the Ambassador's Residence. We would like to thank all of our members and patrons for attending the AGM and express our gratitude for the continuous interest and support from all [...]

Newspapers & COVID The UK’s front page news cycle this week looked closely at the rising cost of living across the UK with Britain’s best-selling newspaper stating running the front page: “Fix Cost of Living Crunch or Lose Election”. There has also ben widespread coverage of Her Majesty’s run-up to the Platinum Jubilee with the [...]

The BSCC is delighted to present our newest Patron member, Setterwalls, a leading business law firm from Sweden. Setterwalls was founded in 1878 making it the oldest law firm in Sweden. Setterwalls is a full-service agency that offers broad expertise in, for example: M&A, banking and finance, compliance and investigations, dispute resolution, environmental law, and [...]

Food Prices set to Rise The possibility of more rises in food prices has been deemed as a “major worry” for the UK and other countries according to the Bank of England (BoE). Andrew Bailey, the BoE governor, went as far as to describe future rises as “apocalyptic” as world wheat prices have risen 25% [...]

On Monday 16 May, together with AmCham and Eversheds Sutherland, the BSCC welcomed guests to a cyberattack simulation with Michael Bahar at Norra Latin. Michael Bahar is the litigation partner at Eversheds Sutherland’s Washington D.C. office and the co-lead of the firm’s global cybersecurity and data privacy practice, consisting of over 150 lawyers across 35 [...]

On Thursday 12 May, the BSCC had the pleasure of hosting a macroeconomic outlook briefing together with SEB at their office in Stockholm. The briefing was given by Jens Magnusson, Chief Economist at SEB, who has the overall responsibility of SEB’s Swedish and global analysis of macroeconomics and economic policy. He joined SEB in 2005 [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from Brunswick Group, M&G and Move By Numbers.  Brunswick Group On 5 May, in Barcelona, Brunswick Group's Geopolitical Senior Advisor, and former US Ambassador to the EU during 2014-2017, Anthony Gardner, [...]

Food Prices set to Rise The possibility of more rises in food prices has been deemed as a “major worry” for the UK and other countries according to the Bank of England (BoE). Andrew Bailey, the BoE governor, went as far as to describe future rises as “apocalyptic” as world wheat prices have risen 25% [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to a breakfast meeting and Q&A. At this meeting, the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Stockholm, Mr. Peter Ruskin, will share an update on the Embassy’s work in 2022, including trade and investment updates provided by Director DIT, Mr. Steve Angus. Date: 8 June [...]

The BSCC is delighted to introduce our new Patron member, Potter Clarkson, a multinational full-service intellectual property law firm specializing in patents, trademarks, designs, litigation, licensing, and consultancy. The company has offices in multiple European countries including the UK, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. The company is recognised as a top-tier intellectual property operation for its wide-ranging [...]

Council Elections & Polling On Thursday (5th May), many voters across England, Wales and Scotland will be voting in the local elections as the nation now sits around half-way through the traditional 5-year general election cycle. More than 4,350 council seats will be contested across 140 councils- with 32 and 22 councils fully up for [...]

H.E. Ms. Judith Gough, British Ambassador to Sweden and the British Swedish Chamber of Commerce cordially invite all members to the AGM followed by a drinks reception at the British Ambassador’s Residence. We are pleased to welcome Johan Forssell, President and CEO of Investor as guest of honour and speaker. Johan will talk about Investor’s [...]

On Thursday 28 April the BSCC was pleased to welcome its membership to a virtual UK political update with Alex Deane, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting and Former Chief of Staff to David Cameron. Alex Deane has more than 15 years’ experience in advocacy and has worked with numerous high-profile individuals and companies in [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce had the great honour to welcome Christian Hedelin, Head of Strategy at Saab, who held an exclusive seminar at the NatWest office in Stockholm. Christian shared his personal reflections on the emerging security and geopolitical landscape. Christian also welcomed questions and perspectives from a highly engaged audience. We would like [...]

PM Johnson in India PM Johnson has vowed to deepen trade ties with India after developing talks with India’s PM Narendra Modi. Following the meeting with his Indian counterpart, Britain’s PM committed to getting a post-Brexit trade deal “done” by Diwali which is in late October. India has maintained high trade barriers on UK exports [...]

‘Cost of Living Crisis’ The rising cost of living has forced Britons to cut back on spending in some areas of the economy and has introduced new unusual cost-saving measures into public debate. Over the weekend, a member of the House of Lords suggested that Britain should move clocks forward by an extra hour to [...]

PM Johnson in Ukraine Over the weekend, PM Johnson has been in Kyiv whilst pledging fresh rounds of aid to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. The PM’s office, Number 10, described the visit as ‘showing solidarity’ with the Ukrainian people and comes as the UK has committed to send 120 armoured vehicles and anti-ship missile systems [...]

UK House Prices UK house prices continue their upward spiral as price growth is now at a 17-year high (according to Nationwide) in the month of March- despite the rising cost of living. Annual growth hit 14.3% in February for an average of £265,312 and represents a £33,000 increase compared to the same time last [...]

Penser The Penser Sustainable Impact Fund is recognised as one of the most sustainable funds worldwide. The fund has now received an AAA rating and a maximum rating of 10, based on how, environmental, social and ownership aspects of sustainability are handled in fund management. The top rating, recently made by the American finance rating [...]

The Spring Budget On Wednesday (23rd March 2022), the Chancellor of the Exchequer outlined the UK’s full Spring Statement in parliament. Traditionally, the Spring Budget is considered the less influential of the two annual budgetary announcements (the other being in Autumn) but there were still substantial policy changes. Furthermore, ongoing inflation levels of 6.2% continue [...]

On Thursday 24 March the BSCC, together with Elsa Arbrandt (Cederquist), welcomed the chamber members to a breakfast webinar on the impacts of the sanctions against Russia. Elsa began by giving a brief summary of the current sanctions against Russia and the countermeasures put in place by Russia. The EU, US and UK sanctions primarily [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from TMF Group, Skanska and Linklaters.  TMF group TMF Group has announced their expansion into Southeast Europe through the acquisition of the Bulgarian accounting consultancy, NOVACON Bulgaria OOD. This [...]

Last week we had the great pleasure of having lunch with Sofie Zetterlund, Nordic Head of Marketing at Schroders. We took the opportunity to ask Sofie three questions to learn a little bit more about Schroders and to find out what Sofie thinks about the Chamber. How long have Schroders been members of the Chamber?  [...]

PM Johnson and PM Andersson Meeting On Tuesday (15th March 2022), PM Johnson and PM Andersson met following a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in London. The British prime minister told the Swedish leader that the UK continues to stand in solidarity with the their Nordic partners in the face of Russian aggression. Additionally, the [...]

We are very pleased to welcome Gowling WLG as a new member company. Gowling WLG is one of the largest law firms in the world, with over 1,500 lawyers based in nine countries. Its roots were established in the UK in 1730 and in Canada in 1887. As well as its own offices, it had [...]

Businesses operating in Russia Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, the expansion of Western companies into Russia has been considered a great business success with queues ‘around the block’ for the opening of some chains- such as the first ever McDonalds. However, due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine there has [...]

On Thursday 10 March, the British Swedish Chamber of Commerce welcomed the chamber members to a panel discussion about why and how companies (and governments) must work together to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. The discussion was moderated by Malin Lindfors Speace (CEO at Ethos International) and led by a panel of Stuart [...]

Corporate Retreat from Russia Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine there has been a growing number of Western firms pulling, or scaling back, their operations from Russia. Over the last few weeks: Microsoft, Apple, H&M and IKEA have all suspended their operations in Russia. On Monday (7th March 2022), Sky News are reporting that PwC [...]

The British Swedish Chamber of commerce is very pleased to welcome GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as a new Patron Company. GSK is a British multinational healthcare company headquartered in London. The company has a long history of over 300 years and engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. According [...]

UK and Ukraine The UK Foreign Secretary, Truss, has warned that the Ukrainian conflict could last “years” and that the UK needs to be “prepared for a very long haul” as she fears that Putin may use “the most unsavoury means” in an attempt to conquer Ukraine. Over the course of the invasion the UK [...]

During the spring the BSCC has welcomed members to a series of talks, The Path Forward. In this series we have been joined by representatives from the UK Government to discuss the future bilateral trade between Sweden and the UK. All speakers have been very generous with their input and the engagement from the BSCC [...]

For the final event in the Path Forward Series, the British Swedish Chamber of Commerce was delighted to have Mr Daniel Gieve, the Chief Operating Officer at the Office for Investment, address the BSCC members. The Office for Investment (OfI) sits between the Department for International Trade and No.10 Downing Street, working across the government [...]

Storm Eunice On Friday (18th February) the UK experienced record winds with speeds of up to 196km/hr provisionally recorded on the Isle of Wight. This led to parts of the iconic O2 Stadium’s roof being torn off and damaged buildings across the country. The total cost of damage is estimated to be £360m and also [...]

We are very proud of the fantastic BSCC network and the extensive knowledge that exists within the network. We continuously actively work to create platforms/events where knowledge is shared and for our members to meet. Going forward we aim to put an extra emphasis on networking as well as referrals and introductions.  Following the EU Exit [...]

The British Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Edrington welcomed members of the Chamber to experience ‘the liquid gold from Scotland’, better known as Single Malt Scotch Whisky, during a whisky tasting on 17 February. Edrington highlighted some of the classic whisky producers from Speyside and let members experience the unique whisky from the Macallan.

PM Johnson on Ukraine Later this week it is expected that PM Johnson will arrive in Europe to continue diplomatic efforts to ease the tension on the Ukraine-Russia border following continuing military escalations. The PM will be holding meetings with world leaders in an urgent attempt to bring Russia back from the “brink” of war. [...]

Directly from the Cabinet Office, Ms. Pamela Dow, Executive Director of the UK Government Skills and Curriculum Unit held a virtual talk for the BSCC membership. Pamela began by underlining that the pandemic and the EU-exit uncovered weaknesses, in the resilience and responsiveness and effectiveness of their institutions. Considering this the UK Government realised, collectively, [...]

Apart from the programme that the Chamber offer its members, there is the exclusive Young Patrons Programme, YPP, that was founded in 2019 – just as the pandemic hit the world. Believing that it was more important than ever to bring people together and support the next generation, we pushed forward with the programme and [...]

The Platinum Jubilee Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations began over the weekend as Britain commemorates it’s 70th year of The Queen’s historic reign. On Sunday (6th February 2022) The Queen became the first British Monarch to ever reach a Platinum Jubilee and, as such, the unprecedented anniversary will feature events and initiatives throughout [...]

Sue Gray’s Number 10 Report The alleged parties which took place in 10 Downing Street, as well as surrounding flats, during the course of the pandemic has been subject to an investigation by the senior civil servant Sue Gray. The probe began in December of 2021 but on Monday (31st January) the long-awaited report was [...]

For our first event in the Path Forward Series we were delighted to have Mr. Alex Hickman, Special Adviser on Business to the Prime Minister speak for our membership. Mr. Hickman shared his reflections on the Race to Net Zero, moving beyond Covid and Global Britain. Mr Hickman also welcomed questions and perspectives from the [...]

We are are always curious about the challenges and possibilities our member companies are facing within their industries. This week we are happy to share updates from IK Investments Partners and Swedmec.  At the beginning of the year we met with Gustav Nilsson, Director of  Operations at IK Invest in Stockholm. Gustav shared some exciting [...]

UK in the Ukraine The British news cycle is currently dominated by the potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. PM Johnson has warned Russia that if it did invade it would be a “disastrous” and a “painful, violent and bloody business”. The UK, alongside the US, has withdrawn some embassy staff from Kyiv with government warnings [...]

The British Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce two new members: Vanitas, a specialist creative media consultancy, and Fair Investments Sweden a fair and client focused asset management company. Vanitas is a specialist creative media consultancy. They partner with international businesses and organisations across multiple industries to create, produce and enhance corporate communication [...]

UK Political Updates In recent weeks the news around the parties of government employees and politicians during the height of the pandemic has dominated British headlines. This political disruption has reduced the PMs personal popularity below even the levels of the previous PM (May) who he replaced. Over the summer of last year the PM [...]

Founded more than 100 years ago, UPS is the world’s leading package delivery and logistics company and a member of BSCC. Despite the changes in the trading relationship between the UK and EU, the company has been able to adapt their operations. Michiel van Veen, the managing director of UPS Nordics, says that they have [...]

Holiday Bookings at ‘Pre-Pandemic Levels’ The BBC has reported that holiday bookings have now returned to “around pre-COVID levels” after the government announced that pre-departure tests for the fully vaccinated populous will be scrapped. Britain’s largest low-cost carrier, easyJet, has experienced an almost 200% rise on the previous week and TUI declared “a strong uptick” [...]

Husqvarna have released a documentary on the history of their automower. Earlier this month, our Patron company Husqvarna released a documentary on how their robotic mower helped transform them from an industrial to a technology company, and revolutionized gardening along the way. Give it a watch here. Grand Hôtel's restaurant Matbaren by Matthias Dahlgren wins [...]

UK Political Updates Over the last week the British political scene has generated the majority of headlines due to recent accusations, and camera footage, of Downing Street suggesting multiple Christmas parties took place last year whilst the nation was in a lockdown. During this period in 2020, England had laws in place to prosecute and [...]

Dan Sten Olsson is CEO and majority owner of Stena Sphere, a privately held Swedish conglomerate. Stena was founded in 1939 as a trading company by Dan's father, Sten, Dan took over in 1983 and now owns 51%. He graduated from the University of Gothenburg and spent a year at Clarkson Ltd in London before [...]

UK By-Elections The month of December contains two by-elections in two ultra-safe Conservative Party seats but neither of which are likely to experience strengthened majorities due to disappointing polling data for the Party. Nationally, the ruling party is now polling neck-and-neck with the opposition (Labour) party at 37% and 36%, respectively, of voters which is [...]

Northern Ireland Economy The smallest country within the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland (NI), represents just 1.9m people in an area around 3% the size of Sweden: however, NI has almost fully recovered economically from the effects of COVID. Output in Q3 of 2021 is just 0.3% below the same period in 2019 according to ONS [...]

Handelsbanken, a BSCC Patron Member, on the 25th of November celebrated 150 years since their founding at Kornhalmstorg in the Old Town district of Stockholm. That year, in 1871, delivered the company with its first banking charter by royal decree and established Handelsbanken as a leading bank in the capital. By 1912 the firm had [...]

Rising Inflation The month of October experienced a ‘bigger than expected’ 4.2% jump in inflation amid fresh calls for the Bank of England to raise interest rates. This outpaced the previous months 3.1% increase and marks the highest rate of inflation in 10 years for the UK. Two of the main causes of this are [...]

On Wednesday 17 November the BSCC and Centigo had the pleasure of co-hosting, HM Ambassador to Sweden Ms. Judith Gough for a breakfast seminar on the British Governments take-aways from COP26. Ms. Gough began by using the glass half full analogy to describe the Government’s viewpoint on COP26 as a whole. Whilst she iterated that [...]

COP26 Summary The new global “Glasgow Climate Pact” has emerged from the COP26 Summit and was welcomed by many but also faces expectations for increased contributions going forward. The document is not legally binding but sets an international agenda on climate change, it focuses upon: Emissions – meeting next year to pledge further CO2 cuts [...]

Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Amanda Milling would welcome the opportunity to engage with businesses from the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce during her visit to Norway and Sweden. The minister’s responsibilities within the FCDO include trade, science & technology, the Arctic and Asia – all areas on which the UK and Sweden should [...]

On 10 November the BSCC had the pleasure of co-hosting an event on cyber security with PA Consulting at their Stockholm offices. The main speakers were PA Consulting’s Carl Nightingale, partner and cyber security specialist, and Anders Herrström, management consultant. Mr. Herrström began the event by discussing examples of cyber security vulnerability and attacks within [...]

COP26 First Week The first week of COP26 in Glasgow has been completed, with proceedings set to conclude this Friday (12th November, having featured 25,000 delegates from 200 countries. Around 120 heads of state made appearances at the summit which was opened by HRH Prince Charles. However, China’s Jinping and Russia’s Putin were not in [...]

The Autumn Budget, released on 27 October 2021, by the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the government’s tax and spending plans for the year ahead. At present the level of inflation is around 3.1% and the UK economy is recovering better than the OBR had previously expected: with a recovery to pre-COVID levels now [...]

COP26 The first day of COP26, in Glasgow, started with Sir David Attenborough warning world leaders that “the world is looking to you” in an emotional speech; India also committed to net achieving net zero emissions by 2070 which is the first time that the global power has made such a pledge. However, this extends [...]

Last week on Friday our Patron company Volvo Cars held their much-anticipated listing on the Stockholm stock exchange. The market reacted warmly to the IPO, which had been substantially oversubscribed, and the stock went up by 22% on its first day of trading. Anglų kalbos kursai ir vaikų dienos vasaros stovyklos Kaune, Vilniuje, Klaipėdoje https://intellectus.lt/dienos-stovykla/. [...]

On October the 28th, the BSCC had the pleasure of organising an industry focus event with SAAB’s CEO Micael Johansson, at their offices in Stockholm. Mr. Johansson began the talk by discussing some of the current global market drivers, centring on among other things AUKUS, the EU’s open strategic autonomy, tensions in the South China [...]

The Budget: Expectations Statements from the government so far, prior to the Chancellor’s delivery, about the Autumn Budget have already identified key areas of interest such as transport, health and education. The official delivery is due on the 27th of October and it is considered unusual for this many details to have already been publicly [...]

SAAB, a BSCC Patron Member, has joined the United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC) Race to Zero campaign and has committed to halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and hitting net zero by 2050. The company has identified climate change as an increasing security threat for people, nations and the planet’s future which has inspired the [...]

Sir David Amess On Friday, the 15th of October, Sir David Amess died after being stabbed multiple times during a regular constituency meeting at a Methodist church in his home county of Essex. The Conservative Party politician, an MP since 1983, had spent a career focussed on his passion for animal welfare, eliminating fuel poverty [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to this industry focused event on 14 October featuring Anna Borg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vattenfall since one year. At this event, Anna will talk about Vattenfall’s journey towards a fossil-free future and why an increased focus on sustainability means business opportunities for the company. Anna Borg holds a master’s in Economics and Political [...]

Rising Gas Prices The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, this week put in a formal request to the Treasury to support industries hit by soaring energy costs (according to the BBC). Sectors such as steel manufacturing have requested a ‘price cap’ similar to the one available exclusively to members of the public. In the first quarter [...]

The Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture (JV), working for Britain’s HS2 project, this month released details of their new 30-acre logistics hub. The site, partly developed by Skanska (a BSCC Patron member), will be used to help dispose of the 5.6 million tonnes of earth which will be excavated in the process of construction for [...]

Conservative Party Conference Britain’s largest party, which has now been in government continuously since 2010, is currently holding their ‘annual conference’ in Manchester. The Conservative Party has adopted the new slogan of ‘Build Back Better’ (following on from ‘Get Brexit Done’, prior to 2021) but has been trialling out ‘Getting on with the Job’ over [...]

After nearly a year and a half of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, employees are finally starting to return to the workplace. From 29 September, there is no longer any recommendation from The Swedish Public Health Agency that employees should work from home. In the UK, government guidance that employees should work from [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to the second event in our series, The Future of Trade and Customs Vol.2 At this webinar and Q&A, we are joined by Ian Hampton, Chief People, Communications and Fleet Operations Officer at Stena Line, Peter Jacobsson, Chairman of the Board, ECUS and Rickard Ydrenäs, [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to this industry focused event on 29 September featuring Mr. Henric Andersson, the President & Chief Executive Officer of Husqvarna Group since 2020. At this event, Henric Andersson, will discuss how robotics and electrification transform the way we care for outdoor environments. Henric Andersson holds [...]

Vattenfall, a BSCC Patron member, has decided to further increase its emission reduction targets for 2030 and beyond. The aim is to reach net zero by 2040 in a bid to help keep global warming at a maximum increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius and has been approved by the SBTi. Vattenfall’s CEO and President, Anna [...]

Labour Party Conference Britain’s second largest political party, the Labour Party, is currently hosting their annual conference which decides upon the party’s platform and policy positions for the year through daily votes. The event has been running in Brighton since Saturday (25th September) and will conclude this Wednesday (29th September). Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to this Virtual Afternoon Webinar and Q&A, on 22 September, featuring Mr. José Pellicer, the Head of Investment Strategy of M&G Real Estate. Mr. Pellicer, will discuss the real estate market outlook, providing insights from M&G Real Estate, one of the world’s leading property investors with [...]

UK Holiday Bookings Rise Britain’s largest airline, IAG, saw it’s share price rise 10.73% on Monday (20th September) following the government announcement that the US will be easing its COVID travel restrictions to passengers from the UK and EU. All UK and EU travellers will need to evidence their double vaccinations alongside further proof of [...]

Market overview Stockholm houses up 21.6% Stockholm apartments up 11.7% Stockholm city centre 104,000 kr/m² London average house cost: £500,000 London private property up 3.7% Vacancies on Objetkvision up by 10% 44% in Stockholm wish to reduce their m² per worker Commercial vacancies up by one percentage point in the UK Vacancies double what they [...]

UK Tax Increases Last week PM Johnson outlined a new 1.25% health and social care tax to help contribute towards reforms in the named sectors. The policy is anticipated to raise an extra £12bn per year for the Government and has a specific focus upon reducing the backlog of NHS appointments pent up during the [...]

Many thanks to all participants in the British-American Chambers’ Annual Golf Tournament held at Djursholm's Golf Club. You all contributed to a lovely day with fun conversations, brilliant swings and great sportsmanship.  We would like to say a special thank you to our sponsors, Utmost International, Volvo Cars, Edrington, DUX, and NatWest Markets N.V. for [...]

Supply Chain Delays Freight delays are hampering the global economic recovery and the UK has the additional hurdle of Brexit changes to mitigate. The logistical challenges faced are further exasperated by the rise in demand which has widened the gap between output and orders to a 24-year high. Iconic Swedish brand IKEA revealed supply struggles [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to share that Mikaela Kumlin Granit arrived this week in London in her new role, having been appointed in April, as the Ambassador of Sweden to the United Kingdom. This comes as Torbjörn Sohlström steps down from the role following five successful years in the position and will [...]

Afghanistan: Withdrawal This week, the US announced that they had now withdrawn from Afghanistan following a 20-year long alliance with Britain in the region. The successful evacuation of over 15,000 people to the UK, since the 14th of August, under the time constraints is considered an achievement for the Ministry of Defence; however, there remains [...]

Handelsbanken, a BSCC Patron member, has analysed the UK’s performance in Q2 of 2021 with their UK Chief Economist, James Sproule, identifying the strong 87.8% increase in the ‘accommodation and food service’ sector. This was partially attributed to the success of England in Euro 2020 but also mainly due to the re-opening of indoor hospitality [...]

UK Stock Shortages Some analysts have now started to point to a slower recovery in the UK economy due to a variety of causations. The HIS/CIPS Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) hit a sixth month low for August (scoring 55.3)- scoring below the Eurozone average and USA. The group attributed this to the “worst shortages [...]

UK Q2 Forecast The first quarterly estimate for UK GDP growth in Q2 has been released and suggests a rise of 4.8% following the easing of COVID restrictions. Interestingly, the largest contributors to growth were the wholesale/retail trade, accommodation and food service activities, and education.  Each month in Q2 is expected to have achieved moderate [...]

Centigo, a BSCC member, has identified key methods to comply with stricter new controls on food products crossing the British borders with EU, in particular for products of animal origin. Since the 1st of January 2021, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls have impacted almost all sales of animal products. The current guidance has led to [...]

This event has been contingent on recommendations from the Swedish Public Health Authority. We look forward to welcoming you at a later date.

The Swedish Government has imposed an entry ban on UK travellers to Sweden which now only provides exemptions to citizens of other EEA states, those with family ties, workers in selected industries, UK citizens who are holding or have applied for residence status, and a few rarer circumstances. Most arrivals will also require a valid [...]

Société Générale, a BSCC Patron Member, has pushed further ahead with its commitment towards promoting gender diversity through its support of the #JamaisSansElles association. The “Never without her” charter now permanently commits the company’s top management into ensuring there is always female representation at public events. This would include any media event, debates and panels [...]

American International Group (AIG), a BSCC Patron member, last month reported improved net investment income in each of its segments as the total net investment income delivered 46% YoY growth to a value of $3.7bn. Figures from the Quarter also revealed cash levels of $2.8bn (down 1.1% YoY) with the value of assets remaining consistent [...]

Hotel Diplomat, a BSCC Patron member, in Stockholm is famous as one of Sweden’s best hotels and this success has been shared alongside their new boutique hotel called Villa Dagmar. The 70-room hotel opened just three months ago and is part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts property portfolio. After a considered review, one of [...]

UK-Australia Trade Deal Last week, the UK agreed upon an historic trade deal with one it’s closest allies: Australia. The FTA was agreed during a meeting with PM Johnson and PM Morrison last Tuesday (15th June) in London which is believed to protect 3.5m British jobs. Over the next 15 years the deal will slowly [...]

The Future of Trade and Customs With Rickard Ydrenäs, the CEO and Founder of Ydrenas Communications, Flavia Munteanu, the EU engagement lead at HMRC, Anneli Wengelin, a Special Adviser at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peter Jacobsson, the Sales and Consulting Managing Director at ECUS, and Michiel van Veen, the Managing Director for UPS [...]

The UK has been described as having “robust FDI project flows” and strengthening “investor confidence” in EY’s annual ‘Attractiveness Survey’ for 2021. Additionally, Britain’s successful vaccine roll-out has helped label the nation as having ‘Europe’s best pandemic recovery plan’ alongside being identified as the “most attractive place in Europe” for future investment. Despite the country [...]

English Lockdown Extended On Monday, 14th June, PM Johnson confirmed that the anticipated 21st June ‘almost’ full re-opening of England would be delayed by up to 4 weeks in order to manage the rapid rise in the COVID Indian variant. A major reason for this delay was due to the fresh Government target of offering [...]

Centigo, a BSCC member, has offered a warning to businesses not to delay in import declarations as some companies may now need to take immediate action in order to maintain customs compliance. From the 25th of June: businesses that selected to defer UK import declarations will need to adapt to tightened border controls. For firms [...]

We kindly ask you to participate in our Annual Member Survey, it only takes about 45 seconds to complete, and greatly helps us improve our membership offering. The British Swedish Chamber of Commerce has around 150 members with a total turnover equal to almost half of Sweden's GDP. The chamber aims to promote trade between Sweden and [...]

Northern Trust, a BSCC Patron member, has been appointed to provide a range of asset servicing solutions to the UK’s Coal Pension Trustees Services (CPT) which controls around £18.4bn. This places the pension fund amongst Britain’s 10 largest- although, comparatively, Northern Trust hold under custody/administration approximately £10.4tn and a further £990bn AUM. The company, founded [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is looking for a new Communications Manager, with an interest in international business, entrepreneurship and British-Swedish relations, to join the Secretariat in Stockholm, after the Summer. We bring British and Swedish companies together by providing excellent opportunities to network in inspiring environments, creating possibilities for each member to learn, develop, [...]

TePe, a BSCC Patron member, has recently published their Sustainability Report 2020 to make progress towards a healthier future for Sweden and the rest of the planet. Last year, the company began spreading awareness of oral health and its connection to general health through 250 webinars (reaching 13,000 participants); furthermore, TePe has set the ambitious [...]

Minimum Global Tax of 15% The G-7 countries, which includes the UK, has agreed to back a minimum global tax of 15% for corporations. It has been indicated that this landmark move has been approved in order to raise funds for pandemic-hit governments from, in particular, tech giants who have mainly financially benefited from global [...]

Countries across Europe are planning for life after the pandemic – but how can businesses best optimise their credit management with the challenges ahead? Intrum’s annual European Payment Report 2021 paints a mixed picture of the economy after Covid. The crisis has had a major impact on business, but many are looking to the future [...]

Handelsbanken, a BSCC Patron member, has released its report into the current Swedish property market which revealed that the last year experienced substantial nationwide changes. For home owners there was good news: the average detached house increased by approximately SEK 1 million compared to the previous year. However, those aspiring for larger homes, or planning [...]

UK Consumer Trends Britain’s second-largest supermarket, Sainsbury’s, has released it’s data on UK consumer spending insights. The data showed that optimism around the UK economy has risen sharply to a peak of 49% of the public believing that the general economic situation will “get better” in the next six months. As expected, this coincides with [...]

Featured speakers: The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with AmCham Sweden and Cirio Advokatbyrå, hosted this virtual seminar about Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), from a Swedish and International Perspective on 14 June 2021. At this seminar, we talked about the FDI Rules in the Nordics, the UK, and the U.S., the policymakers' approach to [...]

A firm majority of customers, 82%, give Accountor a ‘high rating’ after the company has focused upon developing the contact people have with them. The business has the objective of creating and fostering a good relationship between consultants and customers which is first, and foremost, achieved through proactive communication. Accountor is experiencing a continued trend [...]

Rothschild & Co, a BSCC member, have delivered their highest quarterly revenue for their Global Advisory department in Q1 of 2021. Turnover was up 47% to €394.9m for the first three months of the year which highlighted a significant improvement from the €269.1m generated in the same period last year. Assets under Management were also [...]

Green Economy The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said that the UK must put divisions over Brexit behind them and focus upon building a fairer, greener economy. The CBI are now launching their own “landmark” plan, called ‘Seize the Moment’, for the next decade which they believe will drive a further £700bn of economic [...]

Ragnar Agnell at Centigo, a BSCC Patron Member, has written a recent commentary on the challenges of post-Brexit supply chains. His piece discusses some of the immediate costs which may come as a result of the UK leaving the EU due brokerage fees, increases in transport rates and/or higher raw material prices. All of these [...]

RiskPoint, a BSCC Patron Member, has established a new Business area this month to facilitate more financial requirements. The ambitious move has started in Sweden but will eventually expand to the greater Nordics before entering into other territories. RiskPoint is a European based Insurance Managing General Underwriting (MGU) agency with a focus upon quality, compliance [...]

UK’s 17th May Reopening On Monday, 17th May, the restrictions on businesses and venues in England were reduced as part of ‘Step 3’ in the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown plan. All restaurants, pubs, social clubs, cafes, hotels, group exercises, casinos, cinemas, museums, stately/historic homes, theatres and many others were able to resume to almost [...]

Ireland’s two largest ferry operators, Irish Ferries and Stena Line, a BSCC Patron Member, this month called for the reopening of the Common Travel Area (CTA) at the earliest opportunity. They also welcomed the proposal by Ireland’s deputy head of government, Varadkar, discussing the possibility of restoring the Common Travel Area (CTA) between Ireland and [...]

Making Sense of Global Trade With Anna Sellinger, of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, and Sebastian Remøy, of Kreab Introduction Anna Stellinger has two decades of experience in International Affairs, global trade and EU Affairs which include heading up two government agencies. Furthermore, Stellinger has served three years as the Vice Chairman of Lund University [...]

The pandemic deeply disrupted economies around the world, prompting a massive policy response from governments and central banks. The COVID-19 vaccine provides hope for a return to normalcy, but there may be some difficult months ahead. How long will it be before normal patterns of commerce are restored, and what lasting impact will the pandemic [...]

Jersey Fishing Disputes The island of Jersey, a British Crown Dependency, sits in the English Channel and lies just 22km from the French coast. However, on Thursday, the port of Jersey was blockaded by 60 French boats due to disputes over access to fishing waters around the island. Under the new post-Brexit rules: 41 licenses/permits [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to this Webinar and Q&A on 25 May at 08.00 CEST. Today, as businesses strive to stay abreast of an unprecedented rate of change, they’re faced with significant challenges. Identifying opportunities and threats presented by market disruption is, of course, critical - but it is [...]

UK Elections On Thursday (6th May), the UK will be holding ‘bumper elections’ as all local elections from 2020 and 2021 will be merged into the one day democratic event now that COVID appears to be under control. An estimated 48m people are eligible to vote and the election will provide most regions with their [...]

Last week Vattenfall’s CEO and President, Anna Borg, spoke at the White House Leaders Summit on Climate at the invitation of President Biden. The main point of discussion, by Borg, focused on how Vattenfall is combating climate change through innovations including hydrogen produced using fossil-free electricity; furthermore, the firm’s strategy to enable fossil-fuel free living [...]

Older Workers in Unemployment The UK’s ‘older workers’, defined as 50+ years old, have experienced the largest annual fall in employment since the 1980s in the current challenging COVID economy. Research, from Close Brothers, has suggested that 1 in 5 older workers have delayed their retirement due to the pandemic; meanwhile, unemployment has risen to [...]

Volvo Cars, a patron member of the BSCC, saw new UK car sales rise 15% for Q1 in comparison to the same period last year. This resulted in a total of 13,964 units being sold in the first 3 months of 2021 despite the overall market contracting 12% year-on-year. The Swedish icon now holds 3.28% [...]

BSCC Patron member Baker McKenzie has collectively worked to successfully reduce their environmental impact, achieve net-zero for carbon dioxide emissions and became climate neutral in 2020. Baker McKenzie’s office in Stockholm has been environmentally certified in accordance with ISO 14001 since 2013. Not only was their office, in Vasagatan 7, the first LEED-certified building in Sweden but [...]

UK Economic Rebound UK exports to the EU surged by 46.6% (up £3.7bn) to a total of £11.6bn for the month of February following a disappointing 42% (down £5.7bn) slump in the month previous. However, imports from the EU into the UK only increased by 7.3% (up £1.2bn) for the month but had fallen by [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to the 67th Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 4 May 2021, at 17.00 CEST. Please note that, due to current circumstances, this event will be hosted digitally. The AGM will elect Executive Board members and auditors, and more. Please register to receive the complete agenda. Date: 4 [...]

HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh On the morning of the 9th of April the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was announced by Buckingham Palace. HRH was the longest-serving royal consort in British history and had been married to HM The Queen for over 73 years. The Prime Minister described the Duke [...]

Kevin Brown was appointed as managing director of BT Security in November 2018, with responsibility for all elements of their global security activity. He reports to BT’s CEO. In his role, he makes sure that BT Security have the right policies and systems in place to keep the company’s assets – whether physical, logical or [...]

BSCC member Schroders are committing to looking beyond profit in their investments. The firm believes that the way we direct capital can not only shape financial returns but also can change the world. Sustainable companies are now some of the most resilient and best placed for future growth - thus further justifying the mutual benefits [...]

BSCC Patron member TMF Group has been championed as the ‘Best Fund Administrator’ at the Private Equity Wire European Awards 2021 in partnership with Bloomberg. The Awards recognise leadership and excellence among some of the continent’s best private equity fund managers and service providers. TMF specifically won in the ‘GPs with assets <$30bn‘ category and [...]

PM Confirms Reopening Following a scheduled review into the upcoming reopening of the UK economy: PM Johnson has concluded that further easing of COVID restrictions will commence on the 12th of April. This signals the return of ‘non-essential’ retail and outdoor hospitality which will come as welcome news to the nations pub-goers. The public can [...]

Global Economic Outlook With Christian Keller, Head of Economics Research at Barclays Bank Introduction There will be a global recovery, stimulated by the U.S.A., with expansion of around 6.4% y/y this year. Importantly, this represents a faster economic rebound than that seen following the 2008-09 recession. The unprecedented US fiscal stimulus and continued Chinese growth [...]

Tech Tax In the April, of 2020, the UK Government introduced a new 2% ‘tech tax’ on the revenues of search engines, social media platforms and online marketplaces which “derive value from UK users”. However, on Monday (29th March 2021) the US warned of tariffs being introduced to counter this impact with some British-made products [...]

BSCC Patron member Barclays has established a new European hub in Dublin as the almost 350 year-old British bank looks to capture a larger share of the EU’s desirable wealth business. The target for this expansion will be the continent’s ultra-high-net-worth which focuses on clients with investable assets of circa $100m. Barclays has already achieved [...]

Economic Outlook The Bank of England (BoE) has warned that the UK’s economic outlook is “unusually uncertain” even with the rapid vaccine rollout. A focus on how the pandemic evolves in the coming months will be a top priority and the maintained interest rates at 0.1% for March has highlighted this lack of clarity. Some [...]

3 months with the Brexit Agreement: Insights to a new economic relationship With Erik Lagerlöf, of Vinge Advokatbyrå, and Henrik von Sydow, of Carnegie Investment Bank Introduction Erik Lagerlöf is a lawyer at Vinge Advokatbyrå with expertise in EU Competition and Regulatory law, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Brexit. Erik is also an Adjunct Professor [...]

BSCC Patron member Essity have published their ‘Annual and Sustainability Report 2020’ which follows on from the company’s mission statement: to sustainably develop, produce, market and sell value-added products and services within hygiene and health. This is being achieved by striving for 100% recyclability of all brand packaging (including TORK, TENA and Lotus) and sourcing [...]

The UPS Foundation and UPS Healthcare are working to quickly deliver an equitable delivery program of COVID-19 vaccines. The multinational (in collaboration with COVAX, Gavi and CARE) has made a commitment to supply 20 million doses to countries across four continents. Africa, Asia, Europe and South America are set to benefit from this effort through [...]

UK Exports to the EU British exports to the EU fell 40.7%, according to the ONS, in the month of January and imports declined 28.8% - representing the largest fall since records began in 1997. However, the net trade deficit with the EU was actually cut as the value of goods exported was reduced by [...]

The Grand Hôtel in Stockholm recently completed an extensive renovation of hotel rooms and suites, encompassing a total of 19 rooms and suites in the Bolinder Palace part of the hotel. While exuding a Grand Hôtel ambiance, the new rooms and suites bring to mind the continent and international residences, with bold wallpaper, light woods, [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce hosted this Virtual Roundtable Discussion on 25 March at 15.00 CET. At this roundtable event, Mr. Mattias Hedwall, Partner, International Commercial & Trade at Baker McKenzie, lead a discussion on the current state of international trade and presented key macro-trends affecting international firms. Mattias Hedwall heads Baker McKenzie’s Global International [...]

UK Budget 2021 On Wednesday, the 3rd of March, the Chancellor unveiled the Budget for the year to widespread approval from the public. The pressures of the Budget were to work on a swift economic rebound following an almost 10% contraction in GDP during 2020. Furthermore, 700,000 people have lost their jobs since the beginning [...]

The British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is delighted to welcome you to this Webinar and Q&A on 19 March at 12.30 CET, with James Marriott and Ana-Maria Barbu of Bonde Barzey Advokatbyrå AB. This webinar will provide an overview of the main issues that companies should take into consideration in the field of data protection and [...]

Volvo Trucks have set their eyes on the introduction of heavy-duty electric trucks to be used for regional transport across the continent in the near future. The use of electric trucks so far has mainly focused upon short-haul distances between major settlements but the current pilot tests, using the Volvo FH truck (weighing up to [...]

UK Budget 2021 On Wednesday, the 3rd of March, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will publish the UK Budget for 2021 which will come alongside the most current forecasts from the OBR. The upcoming budget is facing the challenge of cutting back from the around £400bn deficit this year whilst facing pressures to increase public [...]

The development of digital air traffic control solutions is transforming the aviation sector and SAAB, the Swedish defence giant and Patron of the BSCC, has been at the forefront of this technology. Örnsköldsvik Airport was the first airport in the world to operate with a remote air traffic control system but this Swedish export has [...]

The New UK-EU Relationship: What has changed? With Ros Kellaway, a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland Introduction Ros Kellaway is a Partner at Eversheds Sutherland and is the Global Co-Chair of Competition, EU and Trade at the company. Overview of the Trade Deal It was an ambitious, last minute, trade deal: Fisheries: the UK compromised to [...]

Vaccine Roll-out and Lockdown End Date Total confirmed COVID cases stand at over 4,126,100 and around 120,000 have now died. However, daily figures are almost halving each fortnight with just 9,834 confirmed cases yesterday which marks a sharp decline from the peaks of almost 70,000 during January. Also, the number of people in the UK [...]

Global Goes Local, a BSCC member since last year, acts as one point of contact for Swedish companies employing international talents that need a working permit as well as for foreign companies wanting to establish a business and incorporate a company in Sweden. Global Goes Local is certified by the Swedish Migration Agency and has [...]

What is your company's expertise, what can your company assist other members with? "Centigo is your modern partner for business critical and cross-functional innovation and change. We work closely with our clients through all phases of transformation – from strategy and innovation to implementation and achieved results in a range of industries and areas of [...]