Originally written by Nick Ismail on Small Business
According to research from DHL Express, 24% of UK SME exporters who already export or plan to in the future state they have stopped selling to some EU markets, with 6% of British businesses stating they have stopped selling to EU-markets altogether.
The research looked at the challenges facing small businesses in all sectors across the UK and paints a nuanced picture. When asked if they thought they’d export more or less over the next year compared to the previous 12 months, SME exporters were completely divided, as 25% forecast an increase while 28% anticipate a decrease.
Since 1 January 2021 a number of exporting incentives, such as the SME Brexit Support Fund, have been on offer from the government. The research found that, while 30% of exporters surveyed believed these support measures were helpful, a significant 24% were not aware of their existence, indicating some small and medium sized businesses may be missing out on important trading opportunities.
Lack of consumer awareness of the additional Customs charges is reported as a concern, with nearly half of exporters stating it was a challenge. However, despite this, only 28% of businesses have proactively alerted customers to the