HSBC Bank plc. Registered in England number 14259. Registered

Office: 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ. Authorised and

regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

This news release is issued by HSBC Bank plc

12 February 2013

ESCALADE SHOWS THE ART OF EXPORTING WITH BRUCE LEE

BRAND EXPANSION

Swansea-based Escalade International has moved its full business banking to HSBC

Commercial Bank and secured a trade finance package to support the expansion of

its Bruce Lee brand of martial arts and fitness equipment worldwide.

The company secured distribution rights to the Bruce Lee branded equipment in

2010 and initially focused on developing the brand in the UK and Europe. It now

plans to extend sales into the Middle East, Asia and China.

Escalade Sports, which employs 14 people at its 30,000 sq ft premises in

Fforestfach, was established in 1992 and distributes fitness and martial arts products

across a range of brands, including Marcy Fitness, Inspire Fitness, Bremshey Sports

and Tunturi Fitness. Clients for its products include Tesco, Littlewoods, Intersport,

Argos and Amazon.

The company’s £5 million turnover is currently derived equally from domestic and

export sales, but Managing Director David Gilson believes the growth of the Bruce

Lee brand of goods will tip that balance towards 90% in favour of exports.

HSBC’s Swansea, Bridgend and the Valleys Commercial team has put together a

finance package that includes export invoice finance to support the company’s

growth in a deal led by Senior International Commercial Manager Darren Baugh.

David Gilson said: “We believe the Bruce Lee brand has fantastic worldwide

potential and we want to take it to the Middle East and Asia. We are near to

securing a distribution partner in Malaysia and then we will look at Vietnam, China

and Japan. Bruce Lee is a legend in that part of the world and we are very confident

that these products will be a success there.

“We would have liked to have developed global sales sooner for the Bruce Lee

brand but we needed the right banking partner to support our growth. HSBC has the

international capabilities and connections and have structured our banking in a way

that will support our ambitions.”

Darren Baugh, HSBC International Commercial Manager, said: “Escalade

International is already a highly successful exporter and its brands are stocked in

many countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. We want to help them reach

that next level, particularly the expansion into Asia, and have tailored our products

to meet their needs and enable the company to grow as turnover increases. We look

forward to working with the company and they establish this fantastic range of

products globally.”

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Michael Clarke,

HSBC Commercial Bank Media Relations Manager

Direct: 07920413672

Email: mike.j.clarke@hsbc.com

Twitter: @HSBCUKBusiness

For the latest updates, visit the UK Business Press Office social media newsroom:

http://www.newsroom.business.hsbc.co.uk

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Notes to Editors:

HSBC Bank plc: HSBC serves 16.1 million customers in the UK and employs

approximately 50,000 people. In the UK, HSBC offers a complete range of

personal, premier and private banking services including bank accounts and

mortgages. It also provides commercial banking for small to medium businesses and

corporate and institutional banking services. HSBC Bank plc is a wholly owned

subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc. HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in

London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 6,900 offices in over

80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin

America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,652bn at 30

June 2012, the HSBC Group is one of the world’s largest banking and financial

services organisations.