Mark Hewitt, national sales manager, Blaise International discusses the company, its export business, life post-brexit and how the sector is faring in different territories.
“Trading in the UK post-Brexit has been OK, but not without its difficulties and increased administration. Rather than import from the EU using our own freight forwarders, we found it much easier to piggy-back our suppliers’ export shippers who have the collective volumes to bring a highly efficient service, at a good price. This means we can offer our UK customers a very reasonable MOV with less administration than before.
“The business is approximately 70% domestic and 30% in Republic of Ireland, which we now have to class as export. The Irish market is strong at the moment and we are in the process of expanding it.
“As with any products, if suppliers bring newness and quality, there are always opportunities. Because we are brand builders for companies new to the UK, our main challenge is getting visibility in crowded marketplaces. Brexit has added costs to freight and global macro-economic conditions have added to product costs. However we are all in the same boat and being British we will always overcome the challenges.”
