A new section providing comprehensive coverage of the UK's Asian business and cultural resources has gone live on the British Library's website. About 75% of all convenience and off-trade outlets in the UK are Asian owned, highlighting the importance of Asian businesses to the UK economy. The Library's new site offers up-to-date information about the resources available to these and other Asian entrepreneurs. It will also be valuable to businesses targeting the UK's Asian communities - an important market with an annual spending power of £10 billion.

Bringing together a wide variety of resources, the site is a portal through which users can find information, saving time and effort. Through a range of fact sheets and links the site enables users to locate specialist support from start-up advice to training, business planning, advertising outlets and access to finance for Asian businesses. Many of the resources can be viewed directly online, or are available in the British Library's reading rooms or via local libraries. Resources on the site include information and links to:

* Asian business directories
* Asian focused market research reports
* Asian and general business support organisations
* Asian business, cultural and mainstream media
* Asian arts and cultural organisations
* British Asian demographics

Sir Gulam Noon MBE, Chairman of Noon Products Ltd and President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, " As a business man I know the importance of easy access to accurate and up to date information. I am sure the British Library's new web pages will quickly become the first place to look for Asian businesses and those providing services to them."

Shabana Mahmud, from the British Library's Business Information Service, said, "The impact of Asian business, arts and media in the UK has never been greater. Asian entrepreneurs are making great strides into many mainstream business sectors, and culturally Asians are increasingly influential. The importance and value of this community to the UK economy and cultural life is now being recognised, and this website will be a valuable first stop for those seeking information about the vibrant Asian business and cultural life in the UK."

Facts about Asian businesses In the UK

• 75% of all convenience and off-trade outlets in the UK are Asian owned
• Indians are responsible for over 40% of the retail sector in Britain
• The South Asian community in the UK has an annual spending power of £10 billion
• Over 200,000 SMEs are owned and operated by South Asians
• In the UK there are over 7,000 Asian female run businesses
• 1 in 10 of London's 250,000 businesses is Asian owned
• Asian businesses in London employ 103,000 people
• 95% of independent retailers in London are Asian owned
• 7 out of 10 newsagents in London are Asian owned

The Library's business collections can be used for finding company news and financials, competitor information, and market research including trends and statistics. Support is given to companies large and small by providing access to one of the most comprehensive collections of business information in the UK.

You can see much of this material in person at the Library's science and business reading rooms at St Pancras, London. Alternatively, a limited amount of business information can be provided free of charge via telephone or email. For more information telephone +44 (0)20 7412 7454 E-mail: business-information@bl.uk

Click here to visit the British Library website.