BBCC to form purchasing consortium for small businesses, hold large British-Bangladeshi business summit in Dhaka in 2027
Photo: Collected
• Initiative to form a purchasing consortium for small and medium enterprises
• Aim is to boost trade and investment between the two countries
The British Bangladeshi Community Coalition (BBCC) plans to hold a large-scale British-Bangladeshi Business Summit in Dhaka in 2027 to strengthen trade and investment cooperation between the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. A purchasing consortium will also be formed to increase the collective purchasing power of small and medium businesses. The aim is to create business connections, joint investment, supply-chain partnerships and opportunities to enter new markets for entrepreneurs of the two countries.
The plans were announced at an event titled ‘An Evening with HOPES Foundation: Business, Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships’, jointly organised by the BBCC and HOPES Foundation Bangladesh in London last Sunday (25 October). Businesspeople, entrepreneurs, professionals, philanthropists and community leaders from various sectors in the UK attended the event.
HOPES Foundation Bangladesh president Enayetuddin Khan Kaiser was chief guest. Moderated by BBCC secretary general Abdul Shukur Khalisadar, the event was addressed by British Bangladeshi Community Foundation chairman Shiraz Haque, HOPES Foundation founding member and former vice-chancellor Dr M Afzal Hossain, and the organisation’s adviser Mustafizur Rahman. Next Stage Events chief executive officer Abdullah Mahmud also spoke.
Enayetuddin Khan said HOPES Foundation would work to build a bridge between Bangladeshi and British-Bangladeshi small and medium entrepreneurs. In Bangladesh, the organisation supports young and women entrepreneurs. He said Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are successful in the UK’s restaurant and service sectors, and beyond that there are many entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs of Bangladeshi origin in various sectors including retail. He believes that if links develop between them and entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, opportunities to expand business in the UK and Europe and to add value to products will increase.
BBCC secretary general Abdul Shukur Khalisadar said the main purpose of the purchasing consortium is to bring small and independent businesses onto a collective purchasing platform. This will allow member businesses to jointly negotiate comparatively better prices and favourable commercial terms when buying goods from large manufacturers, wholesalers and suppliers. According to him, small businesses in various sectors including retail, hospitality and food distribution are increasingly under pressure from rising costs and competition. If their purchasing needs can be brought together, they will get the benefit of buying in larger volumes. A business with limited purchasing power on its own can become a major commercial force when they join together.
Khalisadar further said thousands of small and medium enterprises in the UK want to expand their business in international markets. On the other hand, many large industrial groups and established corporate entities in Bangladesh have production and supply capacity. If the two sides can be matched, new business opportunities will open up for small entrepreneurs.
The BBCC said there are also plans to bring a business delegation from the UK to Dhaka to build long-term commercial partnerships through direct contact and business-to-business (B2B) meetings with Bangladeshi entrepreneurs. The related business initiatives will be taken forward even after the 2027 summit ends.
Women entrepreneurs present at the event included BBCC trustee Shelina Akhtar, Rajna Al Farhadi of Roots of Wellness CIC, Tania Chowdhury of Bejewelled by Amirah, Jasmin Rahman of Gohona London, Fatima Khatun of Fenty Fashion, Afia Sharmin of Shefali Boutique and LBTH town centre manager Bridget Galloway. Bridget Galloway spoke of the need to further strengthen the relationship between local business support programmes and the wider business community.
In the question-and-answer and discussion session, participants said business initiatives and social welfare work can complement each other. They opined that such partnerships can contribute to the long-term economic and social development of the UK and Bangladesh.
By the numbers
According to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, Bangladesh earned $4,388.55 million from readymade garment exports to the UK in the 2025-26 fiscal year — UNB reported this on 26 September 2026.
The same UNB report says garment exports to the UK in the first two months (July-August) of the current 2026-27 fiscal year stood at $915.63 million, 3.74 percent higher than $882.62 million in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Sources
Original report: Ajker Patrika
Background sources: UNB, 26 September 2026
