Five years on from Brexit, Ireland remains one of the UK’s largest trading partners according to the UK Government. For two economies so deeply entwined, UK and Ireland businesses have responded to the challenging trading landscape to achieve solid numbers.
According to the Department for Business & Trade, total UK exports to Ireland amounted to £49.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2024. While this is decrease of nine per cent on the previous year, it still makes Ireland the UK’s 6th largest trading partner, contributing significant sums to our economy.
Recognising the opportunities to better the trading relationship, one of European road freight expert Europa Worldwide Group has invested over £1m in its infrastructure in Ireland. Establishing a dedicated, local Europa Road team based at Dublin Airport Central, Europa’s team has the skills and expertise needed by UK exporters to Ireland who are negotiating the new trading landscape.
Elliott Watts, Dublin Branch Manager, commented: “Brexit completely changed the way the Republic of Ireland trades with the UK and, importantly, how freight moves through the UK to mainland Europe. For us, it’s been our key focus to ensure we provide a range of solutions that our customers could rely on. Businesses can’t gamble their reputation on delayed shipments and hidden fees, so our daily services that connects to 42 partner hubs across Europe means they don’t have to.”
In a further step to provide frictionless trade services between Ireland and Great Britain, the company made its flagship service, Europa Flow, available to Irish exporters from June last year. Using a unique combination of DDP, postponed VAT accounting and anticipated declarations, it offers reduced paperwork, lower costs and faster transit times.
Elliott added: “Irish and British exporters are still experiencing the challenges of Brexit but as exports increase, times are changing. Operators had to get inventive when restrictions were brought into place, which will continue as the requirements tighten. It was vital we adapted to implement business processes that enabled exporters to continue to access their customer markets in the UK and Ireland, the EU27 and beyond post Brexit.”
Despite a challenging trading landscape, the Dublin team of eight has expanded its customer base, more than doubled its shipments and increased total bookings by over 400 per cent since opening its doors at Dublin Airport Central.
With plans of moving to a larger office space to accommodate an expanding team by the end of the year, the team’s growth is evidence for the value of these new services and the positive trading relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
Continuing to tackle local exporting challenges head on, the team has expanded its dedicated linehaul daily service from Dublin to its Dartford hub, guaranteeing a direct and seamless transport process for all EU shipments.
Elliott continued: “At Europa we always strive to lead the way with our services and offer something that our competition doesn’t. So, by popular demand we launched our direct linehaul daily service which has transformed British and Irish exporting. Previously, local sailings would all go on a Friday so if customers missed this, they had to wait another week. With our direct linehaul, we provide a daily service which means exporters can transport goods seamlessly to the UK and Europe.
“We’re celebrating our second anniversary this year and I’m proud to see our team continues to grow and our services are consistently supporting local exporters. Not only does our Europa Flow service provide a reliable pre-Brexit solution, but we also provide a Money Back Guarantee which ensures refunds for consignments not delivered on time.”
The Irish Government has shared that over one third of Irish exports go to the UK.
Elliott added: “Many of our Irish customers work in the agricultural industry, so we move significant volumes of tractor parts. We also support customers from a range of other industries - from packaging to engineering, and everything in between!
“Our services have ensured that time-sensitive shipments are guaranteed to arrive at their destination on time and without additional hidden fees. We take care of the customs ourselves and with teams set up in Ireland and the UK, our customers can relax knowing we have it in hand.”
Adrian Redmile, Branch and Sales Director at Europa Road, comments: “Against a challenging backdrop, the Dublin team continues to go from strength to strength. This team is one of the newest additions to our branch network, but they have responded well to the changing trading landscape, unlocking new opportunities and delivering better services. Only two years into their journey, I’m optimistic for the future of this team and look forward to supporting their growth in the coming years.”
Europa Road provides market leading European road freight services. Its network of 16 sites across the UK and Ireland, which includes the company’s sites at Dublin Airport Central and in Belfast city centre, manage the shipments of goods into Dartford, from where freight connects with daily, direct services to its continental hubs.
