Representatives from top British corporations are in town on a four-day trade mission highlighting Israel’s cutting-edge retail technologies. Senior Policy Advisor to the British Prime Minister, Rohan Silva, is leading the high-level business delegation that includes reps from high-street supermarket chains to internationally-renowned luxury brands, among them including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and John Lewis.
The British visitors are to meet with over 20 Israeli companies and get a close-up view of the latest solutions on offer in retail-technology – mobile payments, augmented reality, consumer engagement and big data.
The delegation will make a stopover at several incubators and innovation hubs, including eBay Social Center, the Google Campus in Tel Aviv, Microsoft’s R&D centre and the Jerusalem Venture Partners Media Lab.
“The technologies on offer in Israel can enable these UK companies to further improve their efficiency as retailers, while also providing them with commercial assets to leverage a unique competitive advantage. This delegation serves as another layer in the strong, comprehensive technology-dialogue that exists between our two countries,” said Noah Shani, Minister for Trade and Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Israel in London.
The combination of the UK’s world-leading retail industry and Israel’s globally-recognized technological leadership is meant to create commercial opportunities for both countries.
“It’s an honor to be leading this trade mission of British retail companies to Israel. Britain’s retail industry is one of the most innovative and exciting in the world, with a higher proportion of retail sales taking place online than any other country. I’m looking forward to helping forge new connections between our leading retailers and cutting edge Israeli technology companies, and generating new investment opportunities for British companies,” said Silva. “This will not only help to create new jobs and innovations in the UK, but it will also help to strengthen the economic ties between the UK and Israel.”
The visit was organized by the Trade and Economic Office at the Embassy of Israel in London and the UK Israel Tech Hub at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, in partnership with The Israel Export Institute and UK Israel Business.
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