News & Insights

China's factories have begun the struggle to restart after an extended Chinese New Year holiday, complicated by the travel and quarantine restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. Transport limitations across the country and a 14-day quarantine on returning workers h... Read more

Airlines have cut swathes of capacity on their China services in response to a collapse in passenger demand due to the coronavirus, which has slashed the amount of air freight volume available. Meanwhile, a surge in volumes is expected as factories in the country continue to come back online f... Read more

New Freeports, hubs of business and enterprise, will be opened across the UK creating thousands of jobs, regenerating communities and turbocharging Britain’s post-Brexit growth, the Government announced last week. Up to ten new innovative Freeports will be opened across the UK as the Governm... Read more

This update incorporates news, local insights from partners and carrier notices and includes the latest factory, transport and economic developments. All China ports are operational, but subject to workforce and capacity constraints. Wuhan port remans closed. Post-holiday return to work in ... Read more

Turkey is a major market for UK exporters and sourcing region for manufacturers and brands, increasingly so as near-shoring becomes more prevalent. Trade between the UK and Turkey is already worth £15bn, leaping almost 15% in 2019, making a post-Brexit trade deal a priority for both. The new ... Read more

We have received a Port Notification regarding Storm Ciara, which is expected to bring severe winds and heavy rain across the UK from midday Saturday 08.02.20 until Tuesday 11.02.20. Widespread travel disruption is expected as a result of gusts reaching 80-100 km per hour, up to 80mm of rain, ... Read more

This updates incorporates the latest insights from supply chain and news sources, together with local insights from partners and carrier notices. Further to our recent communication, please find below a summary of the latest Coronavirus updates: Worldwide confirmed cases – 31,528 across 2... Read more

These updates are a blend of information from supply chain and news sources, together with local insights from partners and carrier notices Virus latest Worldwide confirmed cases - 24,642 across 28 countries, with China accounting for 24,627, or 99% of cases.Number of deaths have reached 49... Read more

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) the world's busiest air cargo hub began the phased introduction of X-ray screening of air freight shipments in January, moving to 100% compliance in 18 months. We will be monitoring performance closely in any post-Coronavirus peak. Mandatory X-ray screeni... Read more

With the continuing escalation of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is expected that ocean and air shipments out of China will be significantly affected in the coming weeks. The extended Chinese New Year holiday, travel restrictions and impact on manufacturing will present multiple and complex challen... Read more

The UK formally leaves the European Union today at 11pm, to enter an eleven month transition period and while there will be no change to UK/EU trade, Metro is accelerating preparations for the new processes that will follow transition The transition period will last until the 31st December 202... Read more

This update includes a summary of developments in the last 48 hours, actions by airlines, the short-term outlook for supply chains and the likely impact of demand once contamination is under control. The situation in China is evolving quickly. Please see below a summary of development in the l... Read more