Neil Currie was able to sell his cookware from the birthplace of Britain's Industrial Revolution to customers in Berlin as easily as he could to those in the east. Since Britain left the European Union, sales have plummeted.
British businesses have been confronting the reality of the country's decision to distance itself from its largest trading partner for a year. The new system collapsed when perishable goods got stuck at ports, retailers discovered their supply chains were obsolete, and trucking companies stopped delivering to the island of Ireland.
After a few months, the worst of the problems outside of Northern Ireland have abated. There is a frustrating regime of higher costs, time-Consuming customs paperwork and countless lost opportunities.
Mr. Currie said that sales to the European Union are draining away. This year they have dropped 40 percent.
Extra delivery costs were the only noticeable difference between sales to the continent and before. The shipment was arranged in less than a minute. For every product leaving Britain, a four-page customs form needs to be completed, which can take up to 20 minutes per shipment.
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Neil Currie has a drawing table. His sales to the United States have risen, but they haven't made up for losses in Europe.
There is sticker shock for customers. The extra administration of customs checks and taxes is what makes items cost more. Every product takes more time to arrive at its destination. Many European independent shops that used to stock the products have concluded that it is not worth the hassle or cost.
Mr. Currie said that it was more expensive to sell to people. I think this is even worse because there is a perception that it is too difficult.
According to the UK Trade Policy Observatory, the new trade deal reduced Britain's exports to the union by 14 percent and imports by 24 percent. It is about 4 billion dollars in lost trade. In January, most of the exports were lost as many companies stopped moving goods due to the number of deliveries that were being sent with inaccurate customs paperwork. Statistics show that exports have recovered since the initial drop.
The data doesn't show how much harder businesses have to work to retain customers as they become less competitive.
A department store in Germany requires that the pans be sold to it via an intermediary in Belgium so it doesn't have to import them from Britain. Mr. Currie said all the additional costs. We all know it is crazy.
Goods made in Britain were granted quota-free access to the European Union. The paperwork required to cross the border has become a nuisance. It was not worth the extra costs. Marks & Spencer, a large British retailer, closed its 11 food stores in France because of supply chain complexities created by the UK's exit from the EU.
The Center for European Reform, a group that supports the European Union, said in a report that goods trade with Europe was 16 percent below what it would have been in a world without the EU.
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Some European independent shops that used to stock the products have decided it is not worth the hassle.
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the British economy will be smaller than it otherwise would be because of the impact of the EU's decision to leave. It estimated that the economy will be twice as scarred as the Pandemic will be.
Sally Jones, who leads the trade strategy and Brexit team at EY, said that they had had a year of two halves. Companies were asking questions about how to keep their businesses running under the new rules. They are working on issues that need to be changed. Some retailers that relied on a single European distribution center in Britain are finding they can't afford to keep paying the additional tariffs imposed by moving imported goods back out of Britain. They are looking into opening other centers on the continent.
It is something that the company that makes and imports lighting and wiring products from China is having to consider. The majority of the sales are made in the Republic of Ireland.
The chief financial officer said it was not the biggest chunk. It has been difficult. He said that the paperwork involved in selling to Northern Ireland is too much. When they enter Britain from China and leave for Ireland, the tariffs have to be paid twice.
It was always going to happen when it made sense to have a hub in Ireland. All that has happened is that the day is a little closer.
The added costs and challenges of leaving the EU have arrived, while businesses are already trying to navigate the constant tumult of the pandemic, which has led to international shortages of goods, excessive shipping costs and surging commodity prices.
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Bridge Cheese imports some of its cheese from Europe and sells blends to food manufacturers and wholesalers, such as pizza companies, in Britain, on the continent and in the Middle East.
The first thing that Mr. Currie gets when he wakes up is an email from the purchasing manager of the top five expenses that have gone up in price. It used to spend millions of dollars on sea containers to ship its goods from China. It is now £16 million. Prices for customers have gone up 12 percent.
Michael Harte, the managing director of Bridge Cheese, which imports some of its cheeses from Europe and sells blends to food manufacturers and wholesalers, said butter and cheese prices have risen 20 percent to 30 percent recently. There are high energy prices. Since September, Bridge Cheese has passed on double-digit price increases to its customers.
Mr. Harte said that everything was on top of each other.
Bridge Cheese is willing to export only large orders because goods going to the European Union now have to undergo veterinary inspections to certify they met health regulations and to check labeling and storage. Mr. Harte said it costs the same to have 20 pallet inspected as it does just one.
There is a massive market on your doorstep that can't be reached competitively for specialty products, he said. In the first nine months of the year, food and drink exports to the EU dropped 14 percent. It said cheese exports were down.
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Michael Harte of Bridge Cheese said the company decided to only export large orders to Europe to keep costs under control. The cost of shipping 20 pallets is the same as shipping one.
There are more impacts to come. Goods from the bloc will be subject to customs checks by Britain. In the new year, companies will have to prove that their products are British made to be eligible for free trade. Physical inspections of plant and animal products will begin in the middle of next year.
The British government wanted companies to focus on the promises of trading with other countries, rather than on the success of the European trade deal. The officials said that there are real opportunities in the region.
Companies have sought out more distant customers in order to survive. The sales to the United States have increased since the beginning of the year, but they haven't made up for the lost sales in Europe.
Mr. Currie said that the everyday cook shops have not remained customers. A dedicated group of customers remain. He said that many of them are real Anglophiles.
He said that we must be losing people who are indifferent to us. It is those lost opportunities that are hard to measure.
