The new distribution center doubles the size of the company’s previous warehouse, allowing them to stock more products. It has also enabled them to hire their own employees, which ensures a higher quality of packing and stocking management, improving communication, and allowing greater oversight over orders.
The export industry has been massively impacted by Brexit, with British Corner Shop seeing a drop of 40% in turnover in the European market. A fully dedicated European warehouse allows them to give customers uncompromised service, free of supply chain and cross border compliance delays.
The retailer, which currently has 2,000 products, stocks many items not currently accessible to other supermarkets across Europe. Delays and ambiguities caused by the new Brexit laws saw a decrease in orders, and the company hopes their new presence in Europe itself will help them to again meet the demands of British Products for the expat community.
The new supply chain will enhance the proposition for their European customers. Plans include expansion of the brands and products on offer, increasing their range to over 5,000 of the best loved British products. This will also involve expanding the Marks & Spencer product range, including chilled, fresh and bakery, and adding new categories including alcohol and organic product ranges.
Jon Farrar, Head of Marketing at British Corner Shop, says: “For British Corner Shop our customer base in Europe has, and continues to be, of great importance to us. Brexit changed the way we serve our customers, adding complexity in both the physical movement of goods and compliance in terms of the cross-border trade between the UK and Europe. With our newly integrated, warehousing and supply chain operations based in the Netherlands, we have welcomed our first cohort of local employees and are successfully dispatching orders for next day delivery across Europe. The initial customer feedback has been extremely positive.”
