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The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is London’s key hub for the city's business community. It supports its members’ businesses through a range of services, advocates on behalf of London’s business community in important forums of policy debate, and promotes ‘Global London’ as the best city for doing business, whether it's for trading, investing, learning, or finding new commercial partners.
It works to accelerate the growth of its members by providing support, facilitating new business connections, and leveraging its network to generate greater shared prosperity for London.
The Chamber has a range of interest groups designed to provide targeted support services to business communities, including the Asian Business Association (ABA), Black Business Association (BBA), and Business Owners Club.
LCCI introduced a free B2B digital networking app in 2021 to facilitate digital connections across the capital. On the LCCI Community App, users can chat with peers, join sector and common interest groups, and discover LCCI member product and service offers.
History
John Weskett ran a London chamber from 1782 to 1800; a larger chamber ran in 1823 and 1824, with support from MP and Bank of England director William Haldimand, and other prominent people; and several other short-lived attempts were made until the current chamber was founded in 1882.
The LCC was a prominent supporter of calls for an Imperial Federation. In 1886, they funded a competition for the best essay "Formulating a Practical Working Plan of the Federation and the Mother Country.". The prize was set at £50 and a size limit of 75 pages was set. 106 entries were received and judged by a panel consisting of James Anthony Froude, Sir Rawson W. Rawson and Professor John Robert Seeley. The competition was won by William Henry Parr Greswell, a former professor of classical studies at Cape University. His essay was published by the with those of the runners-up, J C. Fitzgerald of Wellington, New Zealand, Philip Vernon Smith, an ecclesiastical barrister, W. J. Bradshaw of Melbourne, Australia and F. H. Turnock of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A final essay by Reverend Dalton, a canon in Windsor was expanded and published later.
In 1903, the LCCI established its first arbitration scheme for the resolution of commercial disputes, called the London Chamber of Arbitration. In 2020, this was reformed as the London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation (LCAM).
References
- "London chamber of commerce, Members 1823-4" (PDF).
- England and Her Colonies: The Five Best Essays on Imperial Federation. London: Sonnenschein. 1887.