AFP, Washington :
Rattled by the Brexit shock, major US companies are seeking more clarity about the future of the British market, their preferred entry port to Europe.
From clothing chain stores to automakers, the big names of “Corporate USA” have long flocked to Britain, attracted by its tax advantages and a common language, and by the prospect of accessing the European Union market and its hundreds of millions of consumers.
Unsurprisingly, several large US companies had previously voiced support for Britain to remain in the EU ahead of Thursday’s historic referendum that ended with the opposite, unexpected decision: the first exit of a country from the bloc.
With $56.1 billion in exports in 2015, Britain is the main destination for US goods in the 28-nation European Union. The US services sector, especially banks, also has a strong presence in Britain, especially in the City of London, where Wall Street giants employ tens of thousands of people.
“American companies’ investments in Britain are worth more than half a trillion dollars, and many of those investments were made to reach not just British consumers but those in the European mainland as well,” said Thomas Donohue, head of the US Chamber of Commerce.
The vote in favor of Brexit immediately raised questions about how American companies would deal with the upended European order and whether they would cut back their investments in Britain.
Questioned by AFP, big companies were careful to not rush into judgment on the developing situation but expressed a desire to see more clearly how Britain’s relationship with its former EU partners would work out.
“The UK is an intrinsic part of our European supply chain and we urge all parties to reach an agreement that quickly removes the uncertainty, allows the UK to retain full access to and from the single market,” said Mark Dorsett, manager for Britain at Caterpillar, the mining and construction equipment maker.
That is a crucial issue for US companies: Will Britain continue to benefit from free circulation of goods and people in the EU?
The automaker Ford, which employs 14,000 people in Britain and racks up nearly a fifth of its revenues in the country, certainly hopes so. But it is prepared to switch gears if that proves wrong.
Rattled by the Brexit shock, major US companies are seeking more clarity about the future of the British market, their preferred entry port to Europe.
From clothing chain stores to automakers, the big names of “Corporate USA” have long flocked to Britain, attracted by its tax advantages and a common language, and by the prospect of accessing the European Union market and its hundreds of millions of consumers.
Unsurprisingly, several large US companies had previously voiced support for Britain to remain in the EU ahead of Thursday’s historic referendum that ended with the opposite, unexpected decision: the first exit of a country from the bloc.
With $56.1 billion in exports in 2015, Britain is the main destination for US goods in the 28-nation European Union. The US services sector, especially banks, also has a strong presence in Britain, especially in the City of London, where Wall Street giants employ tens of thousands of people.
“American companies’ investments in Britain are worth more than half a trillion dollars, and many of those investments were made to reach not just British consumers but those in the European mainland as well,” said Thomas Donohue, head of the US Chamber of Commerce.
The vote in favor of Brexit immediately raised questions about how American companies would deal with the upended European order and whether they would cut back their investments in Britain.
Questioned by AFP, big companies were careful to not rush into judgment on the developing situation but expressed a desire to see more clearly how Britain’s relationship with its former EU partners would work out.
“The UK is an intrinsic part of our European supply chain and we urge all parties to reach an agreement that quickly removes the uncertainty, allows the UK to retain full access to and from the single market,” said Mark Dorsett, manager for Britain at Caterpillar, the mining and construction equipment maker.
That is a crucial issue for US companies: Will Britain continue to benefit from free circulation of goods and people in the EU?
The automaker Ford, which employs 14,000 people in Britain and racks up nearly a fifth of its revenues in the country, certainly hopes so. But it is prepared to switch gears if that proves wrong.
