Brexit-related stockpiling is driving up the cost of short-term space in UK warehouses, as companies across the country guard against a no-deal outcome that could cause gridlock at ports and chaos in cross-border trade.
Many businesses, especially smaller ones, have been reluctant to commit resources to costly contingency plans that might prove unnecessary. That is starting to change, with companies of all sizes and in all sectors laying plans to hoard raw materials, components, packaging and finished goods.
Companies now face even more acute uncertainty after the delay of a crucial parliamentary vote on Brexit, with the clock ticking ahead of the UK’s scheduled departure on March 29.
