“MY PERSONAL opinion is that exiting the EU will be very bad for us as we import a lot our products from Europe,” said Andrew Hancock, managing director of Blendworth International.
“I fear there will be a sudden shock and I think even big firms are accepting there will be an economic reaction if we vote to leave.”
The Crookley Park firm, which produces classic British fabric and wallpaper, employs 37 staff and has customers in 46 countries with the US, Canada and China leading the way.
The overseas market accounts for 25 per cent of trade with Sweden, France, Germany and Italy all in their top ten customer base.
There’s no doubt the UK would be able to negotiate trade deals should we leave the EU, but Mr Hancock worries about the financial impact that would have on importing and exporting.
“It’s hard enough doing business without politics getting in the way,” said Mr Hancock, who has also questioned the rationale of going solo when the world is shrinking.
“People like security and stability. If we exit there will be a lot of people that will stop to see what happens and that in its own right will have