I was pleased last week to get my (hopefully) first byline in the Belfast Telegraph and it looks like I’m in Northern Ireland for 2021 at the very least. So I’m thinking a lot about Brexit, retail, Northern Ireland, Ireland and marketplaces, ecommerce.
What I’m still trying to get my head around is what sort of benefits exist for NI retailers or business by being inside both the UK and EU customs union and single market but under the protocol. A few thoughts:
– Does NI offer a place for a UK and EU fulfilment service that will take the sting out of the new Rules of Origin regs? Considering people importing stock from outside the EU and UK, could NI be a useful location to fulfil from and avoid EU import tariffs?
– Could NI just be a convenient location in general for ecommerce fulfilment generally?
– Is there a fulfilment staging post opportunity for Irish/RoI firms shipping to UK consumers in mail consignments.
I’d love to hear from anyone who wants to have a chat about these issues and maybe assess opportunities surrounding them. (None of which is that easy for as long as some finer details remain up in the air.)