Popular Sheffield clothing firm not made ‘one single successful delivery’ to EU since Brexit

Poco Nido, which specialises in baby and children’s footwear, says it has not made a single successful delivery, with one shipment ‘stuck’ for two months.

The company, based at Baltic Works, Effingham Road, has 80 stockists and six distributors worldwide and says it is an experienced exporter.

But trade with the EU is 75 per cent of business and Brexit could finish it off, according to founder Catherine Lobley.

She added: “The whole thing is a mess, and I genuinely don’t know how we will survive if the process is not made cheaper and simpler soon. My business is 10 years old and it has been destroyed in a month.”

A new EU-UK trade deal came into force in January. It has been criticised for imposing a swathe of declarations, tariffs, fees and payments.

Sheffield MP Clive Betts spoke in the Commons about the struggles Poco Nido was facing.

He added: “When is the minister going to ensure the Brexit deal the Government promised is actually delivered in practice?”

He added: “This is not an isolated case, we are hearing of small and medium-sized businesses up and down the country struggling under expensive red tape and form filling that is causing many companies to face huge losses, or even close for good.”

Last month, Doncaster fish food firm World Feeds said the business was at risk due to a logjam of shipments to the EU.

And last week Sheffield company Moon Climbing said it had set up in Holland to avoid Brexit damage.

A spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office said extensive support was available to help businesses ‘trade confidently’ with the EU.

She added: “We are operating export helplines, running webinars with experts and offering businesses support via our network of 300 international trade advisers. We have also announced the £20 million SME Brexit Support Fund to help small businesses adjust to new trade rules with the EU.

"We continue to engage regularly with businesses to provide information and resolve any issues that arise quickly, including through our Brexit Business Taskforce which meets weekly."

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Thank you. Nancy Fielder, editor.