Bexley Business & Employment (BBE) supported South East Enterprise (SEE) as they celebrated the success of the E-Business Programme being delivered in our Borough at a recent event.
The networking event attended by 80 local businesses took place at the Civic Offices in Bexleyheath. They heard from Local London Chairman Councillor Baroness O’Neill OBE, Director of Local London Sarah Murray as well as Serenity Sessions, one of hundreds of businesses that SEE have helped in their first year.
They were entertained by students from Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, The Barley Ducks duo.
The E-business programme in Bexley is funded by Local London and provides e-commerce support to enable local businesses to grow online using digital tools. It encourages participants to adopt digital practices that will help them to build business resilience.
Accessing the programme helps businesses trade online and to prosper in ever more competitive markets, strengthening the local economy and creating jobs. Once registered on the programme, e-business advisors carry out an e-business audit to assess exactly what aspects of e-business will most benefit the organisation. This is followed by a series of support interventions, such as workshops and businesses consultations.
Commissioned in 2021 to deliver the E-Business Programme, SEE have supported over 200 businesses which has delivered more than £2.5 million of increased revenue, helped to create 77 jobs, and safeguarded over 200 jobs in the first year alone. The programme is currently funded up to September 2024 and will support a total of 550 businesses in Bexley.
The Leader of the Council and Local London Chairman, Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE said:
I am proud to say that partnership work between SEE and the Council’s BBE service is proving to be extremely successful in supporting our business community and ‘Making Bexley Even Better’. The programme is also working with our town centres to develop further positive engagement and address the digital divide that many businesses are facing.”
South East Enterprise will be running their first drop-in E-Business Booster Session in May. This is designed to generate ideas that will give businesses some quick wins.