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British Firm Gets £3.5 Million Worth Contract To Supply Bagpipes To Indian Army

London-based British Band Instrument Company (BBICO) has won an export contract which includes the supply of new bagpipe military band, bagpipe and percussion instruments worth around £3.4 million to all the Indian Army Regimental bands.

The deal worth £3.4m will include around 15,000 instruments to 47 regiments of the Indian Army.


Alun Hughes, the founder and managing director of the company commenting on the deal said, "with this latest announcement of our recent success in India, we are able to demonstrate a positive future for specialist companies such as the British Band Instrument Company in export markets."

The UK government welcomed the British company’s new deal with the Indian government for the supply of military bands. "With their high-quality products reaching all corners of the world, the British Band Instrument Company is a great example of the success that exporting can bring to UK companies," said Baroness Fairhead, Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion at the UK's Department for International Trade (DIT).

The agreement also grabbed the attention of Lord Stephen Green, president of the UK's Institute of Export and International Trade and former trade minister who praised the deal and said ‘delighted’ to hear the news on the contract. "This sets an example for all small businesses to follow," he added.

North London-based BBICO narrates itself as a tiny business with a major position in the global music market, providing world-class music product solutions to a wide range of international clients.

"This significant new contract heralds ongoing positive news for the UK export market, highlighting the company's solid reputation, which has grown progressively since being founded over a decade ago," the company said in a statement.

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Highlights

  • Average UK house price rose 0.3 per cent in October to £272,226, down from 0.5 per cent growth in September.
  • Annual house price growth edged up to 2.4 per cent, with market remaining resilient despite mortgage rates being double pre-pandemic levels.
  • Buyers delaying purchases amid speculation that November budget could introduce new property taxes on homes worth over £500,000.
British house prices grew at a slower pace in October as buyers adopted a wait-and-see approach ahead of the government's budget announcement on 26 November, according to data from mortgage lender Nationwide.

The average house price increased by 0.3 per cent month-on-month in October to £272,226, down from a 0.5 per cent rise in September. Despite the monthly slowdown, annual house price growth accelerated slightly to 2.4 per cent, up from 2.2 per cent in the previous month.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said the market had demonstrated broad stability in recent months. "Against a backdrop of subdued consumer confidence and signs of weakening in the labour market, this performance indicates resilience, especially since mortgage rates are more than double the level they were before Covid struck and house prices are close to all-time highs".

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