{"id":820758,"date":"2026-03-12T13:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/820758\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:03:17","slug":"an-post-launches-uk-service-to-bypass-post-brexit-trade-barriers-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/820758\/","title":{"rendered":"An Post launches UK service to bypass \u2018post-Brexit trade barriers\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Post<\/a> has launched an end-to-end parcel delivery and returns service designed to \u201covercome post-Brexit barriers<\/a>\u201d for Irish small and medium sized businesses.<\/p>\n

The company said the service was being introduced as Irish businesses face \u201ccomplexity, cost, and considerable delays\u201d when shipping to Britain, due to customs charges and the \u201cexacting compliance demands\u201d of Brexit.<\/p>\n

The service, called UK Direct, involves businesses registering to access a \u201cfull turnkey solution\u201d, which includes advance customs payments, and three-day delivery with end-to-end tracking. It was described by An Post as \u201cground-breaking\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUK customers buying products from Irish companies can expect fully-tracked delivery by Royal Mail within three days,\u201d the company said. \u201cUK customers also benefit from a simple, integrated secure returns system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enterprise Ireland forecasts 97 per cent of Irish companies want to expand into new markets over the next 12 months, and, in its recent pilot programme for potential new exporters, about two in three companies identified the UK as their target market.<\/p>\n

An Post said it worked closely with Irish SMEs to \u201cunderstand the full extent of their difficulties\u201d in trying to expand their trade with the UK, which boasts a 69 million-strong consumer market.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018Over a billion eyeballs will be on the parade\u2019: St Patrick\u2019s festival CEO Richard Tierney<\/p>\n

\u201cIn designing the new service, and partnering with Royal Mail, An Post is providing SMEs with a bridge directly into the vast UK market, a seamless shopping experience for UK consumers, and a simple, secure system for returns and refunds,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n

An Post chief executive David McRedmond <\/a>described UK-Irish trade as \u201ccentral to Ireland\u2019s economy\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis new UK Direct solution reopens that market for businesses facing the challenges posed by Brexit,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIreland\u2019s 400,000 SMEs are the backbone of this economy, and in building new infrastructure for Ireland, An Post is opening doors to new trade with the UK through a full end-to-end service from one of Ireland\u2019s most trusted companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cUK Direct removes barriers to trade, providing Irish SMEs with access to over 69 million new customers. <\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of being tied up in the complexities of customs fees or other red tape, they can focus on huge growth opportunities and ensuring a top-quality retail experience for their new UK customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kara Owen, British ambassador to Ireland, said businesses on both sides of the Irish Sea want \u201csimple, dependable ways to reach their customers\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat matters most is giving firms the confidence to trade and grow \u2013 and that comes from practical, workable solutions like this,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBy making everyday commerce easier, we are strengthening our \u20ac2 billion a week trading relationship, the economic ties that sustain the UK-Ireland relationship and support to communities and customers across both our countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiona Fitzsimons, chief executive of Irish jewellery company Betty and Biddy, described the service as \u201ca total game-changer\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get enquiries from the UK all the time, but right now, trying to navigate initial customs charges and reliable delivery in the UK \u2013 never mind customer returns \u2013 is a total nightmare,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis service will help take our business to the next level, something we\u2019ve been working towards for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irish Exporters Association chief executive Simon McKeever described the UK as \u201ca massive market ready and waiting for quality Irish products\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An Post has launched an end-to-end parcel delivery and returns service designed to \u201covercome post-Brexit barriers\u201d for Irish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":820759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5226],"tags":[113139,802,748,236267,2000,299,5187,1699,4884,16,15],"class_list":["post-820758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brexit","tag-an-post","tag-brexit","tag-britain","tag-david-mcredmond","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european","tag-european-union","tag-great-britain","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116216346081626826","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=820758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/820759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=820758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=820758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=820758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}