News & Insights

Airports Council International (ACI) has revealed preliminary world airport traffic rankings covering cargo volumes, and aircraft movements for 2019 combined with a glimpse of 2020 data which shows the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on airports in the first quarter. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis ha... Read more

With Mental Health Awareness Week finishing today we want to continue spreading the message that you should #SpeakYourMind and reach out to someone who needs a friend with a positive message, so they don't have to face problems alone. Like many other sectors, transport, shipping and logistics ... Read more

The Department for International Trade has issued the new UK Global Tariff, which will apply from 1st January 2021, assuming that no Free Trade Agreement is agreed with the EU. In total, 60% of UK imports will be tariff free in January under this scheme and the preferential trade deals that ex... Read more

The virus is releasing its grip in many regions, but any recovery is likely to be drawn out, with supply chains experiencing differing levels of disruption across regions and countries. Since China reported its first death on the 11th January, the Coronavirus pandemic has swept vast swathes of... Read more

The governments decision to inject £35 million, to keep vital freight routes moving and maintain capacity through the COVID19 disruption, is welcome now and for 2021. The government’s cash injection will keep vital freight ferry and rail routes into and out of the UK running smoothly and en... Read more

The paper money we carry in our wallets and purses has no intrinsic worth. Money fulfils its function, when we have confidence that it will retain its value over time. In the service sector, the products sold are intangible, relying on people to create confidence and deliver value. Emma Hulbert a... Read more

The latest round of trade talks ended on Friday with EU and UK negotiators making little progress in trade talks that are threatened by significant sticking points between the two sides, that may yet result in a no deal outcome. Disagreements are most pronounced on fish, competition rules and ... Read more

The coronavirus pandemic is severely disrupting global supply chains and in the process, laying the foundation for permanent changes to international trade. We’re still seeing the jump in sea freight volumes that was the catch-up from the earlier China shutdown and now we’ve entered the pe... Read more

Pandemic triggered lockdowns and the collapse in economic activity have had profound impacts on global supply chains, with transport operators slashing supply, while some infrastructure providers have struggled to maintain supporting operations. The Coronavirus pandemic has stalled global econ... Read more

The Coronavirus pandemic is forcing businesses to adapt and technology is critical to the success of those adaptations and evolutions, accelerating the digitalisation of the entire freight sector. Metro believe that Blockchain, machine-learning and emerging technologies are the future of inter... Read more

On the 20th April we highlighted the new Customs controls that the Chinese government had imposed on exports of PPE and medical equipment into Europe. The danger of congestion has unfortunately been borne out. Shortly after the new regulations were imposed we saw customs brokers raising rates ... Read more

In a first tentative step out of the lockdown the prime minister has said that those who could not work from home should be "actively encouraged to go to work” from yesterday, in England. Safety of our people and serving our customers effectively is Metro’s primary concerns at this time and w... Read more