Five years on from Brexit, Britain remains one of Ireland’s largest trading partners. For two economies so deeply entwined, Irish businesses have responded to the challenging trading landscape to achieve solid numbers.
Demonstrating this agility, the Central Statistics office (CSO) has reported that Irish exports have significantly increased by 13 per cent in the first 10 months of 2024, when compared to 2023. Whilst exports to the EU have declined slightly, those to other countries such as mainland Europe, USA and Rest of the World have all increased.
Recognising these opportunities for Irish trade, one of Britain’s largest independent European road freight providers Europa Worldwide Group, invested over €1m in its infrastructure in Ireland to establish a dedicated, local Europa Road team based at Dublin Airport Central, with the skills and expertise needed by Irish businesses that were 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 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 UK tightens its requirements. It was vital we adapted to implement business processes that enabled Irish exporters to continue to access their customer markets in Great Britain, 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 in the UK, 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 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 Great Britain 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.
