UK must take a global outlook on trade relations, says Corby logistics boss

At what is certainly the start of a new trading climate, Andrew Baxter, Chief Executive Officer at Europa Worldwide Group, is urging British businesses to recognise the importance of opening these international markets to strengthen British trade.

Europa has a state-of-the-art 3PL facility in Corby, Europa Warehouse, which opened in 2020. It employs approximately 150 people from the local area.

Europa Worldwide Group established its Dartford transit hub in 2015, and it currently employs more than 350 people across its three divisions in Dartford, Europa Road, Europa Warehouse and Europa Air & Sea.

Andrew said: “UK trade deals have dominated the headlines in recent weeks, sparking a mixture of support and contempt from different sides of the political agenda. Many commentators might feel like our relationship with one trading partner is more important than others, but the most important thing for the UK is that we build good relationships with all countries: the USA, EU, India, and beyond.

“Taking a global outlook is integral when looking to strengthen British trade, and this is something we have invested heavily in to remove the red tape around trade for our customers.

“For example, recognising British businesses had an appetite for developing frictionless trade with India, we made the decision to open a Europa Air & Sea office in Delhi in 2023.

“With a potential new trade agreement in place with one of the world’s largest economies, our team’s presence and expertise within the local market will help open new trading opportunities for customers.

“We also investigated the major sticking points for British businesses trading with the EU post-Brexit and developed a solution with Europa Flow – a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) product delivered to solve the complexity British businesses faced over customs administration and the payment of duties.

“Trading conditions have been in the spotlight for several years, and this has intensified recently, which causes a level of uncertainty and volatility that is challenging for businesses.

“Our priority has always been to navigate these challenges head-on with an in-house customs team, a nimble approach and a global outlook. I believe this is how we can help grow the UK’s market position long-term.”

Andrew Baxter acquired Europa Worldwide Group in 2013, when the company employed just 400 people across nine UK branches and one international site in Hong Kong.

Headquartered at its 270K sq.ft transit hub in Dartford, which is strategically located on the Dartford Crossing to better leverage trade connections, Europa employs more than 1,300 people globally across sites in the UK and Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, the UAE, China, India and South Africa.