52
TRADE INTERNATIONAL
A SONG FOR EUROPE
The mood music may suggest that post-Brexit barriers are making the EU a no-go area for many UK businesses, but Paul Harrison sings a different tune. “There’s money to be made in Europe”, he declares. “So don’t be afraid to explore it.”
Paul is director of Melba Swintex. Based in Ramsbottom it is a global leader in the manufacturer of temporary traffic management products, as well as barriers used in event management and street furniture.
He says: “Our exports have gone up since Brexit and continue to do so. We are currently doing about £4.5m in exports a year and about 80 per cent of that is into Europe.”
There is little doubt that the UK’s exit from the EU caused Lancashire exporters many headaches, not least the increase in red tape. Paul says: “There were extra hoops to go through, but once you know what you’re doing it becomes a day-to-day thing.”
Dave Lenehan, managing director of Blackburn- based Northern Industrial, which specialises in refurbished automation spare parts, and exports across the world, says there are still problems sending items to the EU, but he adds: “Those things will get easier as people become more aware.
Once you are VAT
registered in the EU and you jump through a few smaller hoops it’s not complicated
“It’s not been that long since Brexit happened really, and we’ve also had the pandemic. Over time we’ll all get used to it.”
In the meantime, the company has opened an operation in Germany to get around some of the problems. Dave says: “Fifty per cent of our business is export and of that, 50 per cent is in the EU.
“There were some unique challenges with the changes brought about by Brexit, with suppliers not wanting to deal with us, customers choosing to buy from other European countries.
“We’ve opened Germany as a hub to get around the issues. A lot of our products need to be in the country the same day or the next day.”
A recent report in the Financial Times also revealed an influx of British-based companies to the Netherlands, where they have built or rented distribution space.
Martyn Bysh, chief executive of Huboo, a logistics provider to online retailers, shared with the newspaper his belief that more midsized UK companies are ready to resume exporting to Europe.
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