The Impact Of Brexit And The Coronavirus Pandemic

On the morning of 24 June 2016, the result of the Brexit referendum was announced at the Manchester Town Hall. With the decision to leave, many businesses around the United Kingdom looked at how this could affect their operations.

We here at Mauveworx were no different, as straight away our Logistics and Fulfilment teams looked at how this could change the way they go about their roles.

Our Purchasing Manager, Darren, said:

“It didn’t come as a surprise. It, of course, required preparation – but like all things, because it was well prepared, it was done well and on time, with each part of our logistics chain knowing their part and ready to execute, with fallbacks in place.”

The Logistics and Fulfilment teams spoke to suppliers, merchants, and couriers, agreeing plans for the first proposed date, 29 March 2019. There were also some minor implications on material ordering. Certain materials needed a higher minimum order quantity when coming from European suppliers, which meant an increased stockholding this side of the channel.

For Judith, our Despatch Manager, her role was complicated by the result of the decision to leave the EU. Her paperwork increased tenfold with the new duties and tax paperwork, as well as the additional complications with port officials and customs agents.

The major challenge over the last 18 months for our logisticians was not actually the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The Coronavirus pandemic left no stone unturned in changing the way businesses operate, and we at Mauveworx were no exception. The pandemic put many spanners in the works for manufacturers, couriers, merchants all around the country, and unseen stress on choke points such as ports and transport hubs, which in turn doubled the time to market for a lot of products. This largely affected our transport chain, having to prepare in advance for both incoming materials and outgoing products.

It has been a turbulent 18 months for the country. Not many businesses have been left unchanged by the withdrawal from the EU or by the Coronavirus pandemic. The lasting effects include a change to the behaviours of both B2B and B2C buying habits. This means a change to the way that businesses approach their customers and the ways that they get their products to market, with a large shift to an online presence.

It has been a turbulent 18 months for the country. Not many businesses have been left unchanged by the withdrawal from the EU or by the Coronavirus pandemic. The lasting effects include a change to the behaviours of both B2B and B2C buying habits. This means a change to the way that businesses approach their customers and the ways that they get their products to market, with a large shift to an online presence.

The country looks forward to the easing of lockdown, where supply chains should ease up, and people back on the high street spending. With the re-opening of pubs, barbers/salons, and practically all non-essential retail now, a return to somewhat normality is in sight.