Europa launches Frictionless Brexit Product

With less than 111 days to go, pioneering logistics operator Europa Worldwide Group, has launched a new customs product to preserve transit times and the flow of goods between the UK and Europe after the Brexit transition period comes to an end on 31st December.

The product has been launched by Europa Road, which operates the UK’s largest European groupage hub and has a network of 13 UK branches trunk into Europa’s Dartford 1Hub, from where freight connects with daily, direct services to 30 continental hubs. Each month Europa transports over 45,000 consignments through its road network, making over 2,000 collections and deliveries every day.

Based at Albion Road, Dartford, Kent, Europa’s branch/site at Dartford employees nearly 400 people, and includes an office for its Europa Road team and a warehouse, one of four facilities run by its Europa Warehouse division.

Europa Worldwide Group has six divisions – Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, Europa Showfreight, Europa Warehouse, Europa Contact Centre and Continental Cargo Carriers and has featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for two years running. Europa recently revealed its results for year-ending 31st December 2019, showing another 16.5% growth with a record turnover of £205million.

Europa has spent the last 12 months developing this simple and effective customs process designed to minimise transit time delays.

The basic premise of the product is that delays are created by the need to contact importers prior to delivery, to agree terms, and collect VAT and duty prior to delivery.

The new product Europa FLOW is designed to circumvent these issues.

It achieves this by Europa acting as an EU Global VAT representative for its customers, zero rating EU import VAT and billing duty and fees back to the UK party.

These steps, plus the use of Frontier Declarations, will mean that clearance occurs whilst the goods cross the channel. By the time they arrive on the other side, they are free to deliver.

To deliver the service Europa has created two strategically located customs brokerage businesses known as ‘Frictionless Trade Services’ in Lille, France as well as Oostende in Belgium. In addition to the UK team in Dartford. These operations will manage export and import declarations and all of the associated work required to facilitate the product.

In total a team 45 is being employed to deliver the FLOW service to customers. Europa is currently recruiting for additional customs supervisors and declarants across all its sites as it gears up for Brexit.

Implementation of the new product with customers is being spearheaded by Dionne Redpath, Sales Director. She comments “There are lots of ways to deal with export and import from January 1st but, we’ve looked at every scenario, and we believe that this is the best way to preserve the flow of goods and achieve the same transit times we offer today. 

“We believe our simple approach will give British businesses everything required for a successful start to 2021.”

Andrew Baxter, Managing Director of Europa Worldwide Group added. “The Brexit transition period is quickly coming to an end. Soon all goods travelling between the UK and the EU will need to go through a customs process.

“By using this product our customers will be in the strongest position, we have devised a solution to keep goods moving without friction. Whilst we can’t prevent physical customs checks we can remove every other barrier that delays goods.”

This is the latest in a series of investments Europa has made since the EU referendum to ensure the business and its customers are ready. Last year Europa invested over £2m in its Dartford transit warehouse to increase racking capacity by 75 per cent, as well as spending a further £2m on consultants, marketing and IT. It has supported customers by providing Brexit workshops across the UK.