Supply chain; a year in review
2023 was supposed to be the year that global supply chains bounced back from pandemic lockdowns and factory shutdowns, trade wars, tariffs and war in Europe, but now container shipping is disrupted by attacks in the Red Sea and restrictions on the Panama Canal.
The COVID pandemic and its after...
Read more The US market grows in size and opportunity
The United States of America is the UK's largest single trading partner, with the value of goods and services nearly five times the value of trade with Germany, the UK's second largest export market and hopes are growing of a breakthrough in US/UK trade negotiations.
Total US goods imported to...
Read more HMRC export deadline and rogue hauliers
With the deadline fast approaching for export declarations moving to the Customs Declaration Service HMRC are highlighting a worrying trend at the border, with misuse of valid documents leaving innocent exporters potentially non-compliant and exposed to penalties.
In their latest Customs...
Read more Decline in British food exports may be short-lived
The UK’s food and drink exports in the first half of 2023 increased by £0.5bn from the same period in 2022 and while that should be good news, inflation has pushed up values, while volumes in almost all our top 10 products fell, with whiskey, beef and pork slipping 20%.
With high inflation ...
Read more UK moves up export rankings
The UK has overtaken France as the world’s eighth largest manufacturer, while government backing has persuaded a major automotive manufacturer to invest £600 million in the production of a popular model, with the government setting aside a further £1 billion to spur investment in battery tech...
Read more Take your customs declarations to a whole new level
Metro provide customs clearance services at all UK airports and ports of arrival and departure, including inland border points, with import and export entry processes completed within two hours.
Simply provide us with your commercial invoice, packing list and any other supporting documents and...
Read more Government’s 10 benefits of Trans-Pacific accession
The UK has reached an agreement to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Peru, Malaysia and Chile, supporting tariff-free trade with a number of nations with which the UK does ...
Read more Export declarations start CDS migration
HMRC data showed that more than a quarter of businesses had not signed up to their new Customs Declaration Service (CDS) at the start of the year and with the migration already started thousands of businesses could potentially find themselves cut adrift and unable to export.
CDS has been in...
Read more Exporting challenges and opportunities
In 2022, exports increased by 6.7% (after inflation), but this is still less than the value of pre-pandemic exports in 2018 and there were warning signs in the last quarter of 2022, with UK exports falling by 2.9% as economic headwinds took their toll.
The challenges facing UK exporters in 202...
Read more Exporting is good business – Metro are a key component to global expansion and success
The Bank of England has predicted the UK’s recession may be the longest on record, but it is not expected to be deep and exports will play a critical role in shortening the downturn.
The Secretary of State for International Trade, Kemi Badenoch, said earlier this month that we need to‘ge...
Read more Client wins Exporter of the Year at the British Business Excellence Awards
The premium mixer brand, Fever-Tree, has been named the winner of the “Department for International Trade Exporter of the Year Award” at the 2022 British Business Excellence Awards, in recognition of their exporting ability and a glowing accolade of Fever-Tree’s innovative spirit.
Fever-...
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