International Trade International Trade


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Freight forwarder opens new storage facility


Coleshill-based independent freight forwarder International Forwarding Ltd (IFL), has opened its third storage facility in the Midlands. The 40,000 sq ft warehouse is in Garretts


Green, near Birmingham Airport, and IFL says it is already starting to fill up with short and long- term goods storage bound for UK and European destinations. It is just a year since the company almost doubled its storage space by opening a second 20,000 sq ft warehouse at its Coleshill base. This third large storage unit supports the


company’s growth plans and its aim to become one of the leading warehouse businesses in the Midlands for imports and exports. The new facility will provide significant additional capacity. It is located on the site of Birmingham’s former Hovis bakery, which closed seven years ago. With ongoing Covid-19 restrictions on air and


sea freight capacity, storage is currently in high demand from both importers and exporters across the West Midlands, the company said. Many businesses are storing extra goods


ahead of Brexit changes and higher customs tariffs from 1 January 2021, in order to minimise disruption to their supply chains. IFL managing director Rob Pike said: “These


are tough times for everyone. But we are very excited to be opening our third warehouse at this strategic site for goods coming into Birmingham or being shipped to Europe. “It’s a fantastic growth opportunity for the


company and will significantly increase our storage capacity.”


UK haulage association rebukes lack of planning


Britain’s biggest trade haulage association’s frustrations with Brexit have boiled over, with boss Richard Burnett launching a scathing attack on the Government. Mr Burnett, chief executive of the Road


Haulage Association (RHA), has accused the Government of trying to ‘whitewash’ its lack of readiness for Brexit, and said the road haulage industry and traders were being lined up to carry the can. He added that the RHA had been trying to


warn the Government for months of the likely outcome of its Brexit bungling – but had been fobbed off. Mr Burnett’s stinging rebuke follows a letter


from Michael Gove, minister for the Cabinet Office and the main Government minister for Brexit transition, in which he outlined what he called a ‘reasonable worst case scenario’ on border controls. The letter warned that there could be long


delays at ports as a large majority of trucks wouldn’t be ready for the new regulations coming into force on 1 January 2021, while a ‘lack of capacity to hold unready trucks at French ports’ could reduce the flow of traffic across the Dover Strait to between 60 to 80 per cent of normal levels. Mr Burnett said: “We already know this. It’s


what we’ve been saying for many months. “We know that traders and haulage


operators will face new customs controls and processes and we know that if they haven’t completed the right paperwork their goods will be stopped when entering the EU.


‘For years we’ve been warning Government that there will be delays at ports’


“Mr Gove stresses that it’s essential that


traders act now to get ready for new the formalities. We know for a fact that they are only too keen to be ready but how on earth can they prepare when there is still no clarity as to what they need to do? “For years we’ve been warning Government


that there will be delays at ports but with 70 working days to go until the end of the transition period they’re still not engaging with us to come up with the solutions. “The answers to the questions that we raised


in our letter to Mr Gove and subsequent round table meeting still remain unanswered. “We described the meeting between


industry stakeholders and Mr Gove’s team as a total washout. Government’s promises that the UK will be ready for business on 1 January are just a whitewash, and right now it appears that traders and haulage operators are being left to carry the can.”


Chitzo makes a move into the Mediterranean


A rapidly growing Solihull online marketing company has expanded into the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta. The firm is Chitzo, which helps venues


promote their events, and the Maltese expansion has being made in conjunction with the launch of a mobile app from the firm. Richard Gwatkin of Chitzo says the move


represents a big step for both local businesses and visitors to connect like never before. “In the long term, as we learn to live with and


overcome the pandemic, the site represents an empowering way to maximise your travel plans,” he said. “The international move comes at a time when


many parts of the economy at home and abroad are still in enforced closure and Malta is currently on the UK’s quarantine list. Despite this, we still believe it’s a good time to be launching in Malta. “Malta has fantastic heritage, natural beauty


and climate which is why it’s so popular as a tourist destination. “There are many reasons why we chose Malta


for our first phase of internationalisation but one of the main considerations was its diversity and


30CHAMBERLINK November 2020


depth of things to do. For such a small island it really packs a lot in with strong options for a wide range of demographics. “People need it to publicise their offerings and


that is more important than ever now for tourist destinations such as Malta. “From scuba diving schools to live music bars,


which may have diversified, and restaurants, the platform will host them all and help people discover where they can eat out, socialise and find any activity in the area they are interested in.”


Mr Gwatkin said the Malta expansion was the


first phase of an ongoing plan to launch a presence in other locations. The firm’s head of operations for Malta,


Antoine Attard, said: “This is really and truly a fantastic opportunity for Malta to showcase its diversity in the most dynamic way. “Tourism has always played a major part in


our economy and this platform can only enhance opportunities for local businesses and tourists to connect like never before.”


A Chitzo employee demonstrates the new app


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