Brexit

Ed Walsh and his partner Alice are the duo behind Alice Made This.

Recently I asked Ed what he thought about Brexit and how it would impact on his business.

The biggest problem is that no one knows exactly how it's going to impact their business so you can’t forward plan or prepare. Uncertainty is the killer here at the moment, stifling both investment and growth.

I know bigger businesses with far bigger supply chains are having to spend lots of money in bonded warehouses in the EU just in case of a no deal! We’re in a slightly better off position that the factories we use are in the UK and that we are a small and nimble business that can adapt quickly.  

There will be and has been an increase in the price of our raw materials that our factories purchase, as some of them are mined abroad, but it's been minimal to date. 

There will be an effect on all of our EU online sales as there possibility of tariffs and duties etc but again no one really knows yet! And then there is the economic effect on UK households, so we may see a possible recession and a slow down on household spending, which could affect sales. 

We’re looking at expanding our international sales and growing markets, such as the US so we aren’t as reliant on the UK market in case there is a downturn. 

Thanks Ed 

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