Retailers, including florists, wine merchants and gift shops are struggling to important Valentine’s Day staples such as flowers, chocolates and wine due to post-Brexit customs restrictions.
The new rules came into place on the 1st of January 2022, with Valentines Day being the new supply chains’ first test of excessive consumerism.
HMRC now requires a special code to clear goods at customs before they’re allowed onto British shores. However, some importers have claimed they were not informed of this, resulting in disrupting for British firms, according to PA.
Wine merchant Daniel Lambert said on Twitter: “We’ve had problems this week.
“HMRC rule changes that kicked in at the start of this year, plus new import codes coming online without sufficient notice, were the cause.
“HMRC is not sharing information well enough and if we, as a relatively big importer who gets their paperwork in order weeks in advance, are getting caught out like this, I’m sure the problems are magnified for smaller importers and any importer that relies on ‘just in time’ delivery.”
I have been importing wine for years and after Brexit happened we continued with our imports despite the pain and endless documentation. Today for the first time my consignment was stopped by customs due to missing paperwork. I was somewhat surprised. 1/2
— Daniel Lambert (Wines). 🇪🇺🇫🇷🏴🍇🥂 (@DanielLambert29) February 7, 2022
Valentines day Inspiration:
Can’t get hold of any chocolate, flowers or wine? Why not try speed dating? We asked a group of Londoners if they’d be willing to explore a less conventional form of dating.