FNP Shorncliffe providing strategic shipping into Europe

Brexit one month on

The new year marked the end of the Brexit transition period and the UK officially left the EU Customs Union and entered the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. However, the transition has also brought confusion, friction, delays and a lot of angry business owners and disappointed customers with it.

Back in November there were reports of queues of lorries up to 5 miles long in Kent due to delays of post Brexit and warning signs of ports being at capacity with staff struggling to cope and SME's being hit the hardest by red tape. Since there has been a dramatic fall in volume of traffic going through the border due to goods not being compliant and the introduction of Covid-19 tests by the French government. This has had a huge negative effect on the attractiveness of the UK market especially when distributing fresh produce into Europe. eCommerce companies have been directly affected by the delays reported by Royal Mail, DPD, Hermes and Amazon due to new confusing customs rules and regulations.

Some customers on both sides of the border have even experienced unexpected duty payments they’ve been forced to pay to clear goods through customs. A number of fashion retailers have taken the decision to stop exporting all together until things are running more smoothly. However, there are signs of progress and expectations that delays will decrease once backlogs have been cleared and businesses and custom officials get used to the processes.

How can my business cope with the challenges of Brexit?

Like many small businesses you may be struggling to understand what is now required of you to keep the process of selling to European customers running smoothly. One way to help your business avoid delays and any extra tariffs is to be both strategic and compliant with the new rules. Finding a reliable fulfilment partner that has the know-how and capability can be a challenge. However, fulfilmentcrowd pride themselves in providing full support to customers throughout the pandemic and the Brexit transition period through:

• Regular communication: We monitor, assess and provide regular service updates to all clients about external matter e.g., carriers, tariff’s, delays, platform updates and more.
• eCommerce experts: Our customer success team is there to help guide you through any changes that may affect your business and are always on hand to provide support.
• Order Volume Discounts: Savings we earn from our network of carriers are passed down on to our customers helping them achieve economies of scale.
• International Network: Our customers get exclusive access to our network of international fulfilment centres and our business development mangers are happy to help and advise on the transition to other countries.
• Direct Duty Paid: This new service allows duty payments to be pre-paid by carriers on your behalf so you can avoid delays and unexpected charges to your customers.

Strategic shipping from our Shorncliffe centre

fulfilmentcrowd have made the strategic investment to help our eCommerce customers with the launch of a new centre Fulfilment Network Partner, Shorncliffe. Situated in Folkestone, Kent the new centre is located in the nearest town to the Channel Tunnel Freight terminal. Within just a 5-mile distance from the terminal eCommerce brands can avoid the long waits and congestion leading up to the terminal by strategically storing and distributing stock from our local fulfilment centre. Additionally, the new fulfilment centre is within economic distance from Folkstone Ferry Terminal and a short distance from Dover.

The new 5000 sq. ft fulfilment house provides clients with a portfolio of technology, services and support by our experienced team to deliver excellent service levels every time. Shorncliffe is also an ideal location for clients looking for faster shipping rates that have a large customer base in the Greater London and City areas.

If you’d like to enquire about our latest centre, please get in touch with our business development team today.

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by Cameron Mitchell on 18/02/2021