31 July 2020

Many companies have stock in their warehouses on which they have already paid duty but which they have been unable to sell because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thanks to the current absence of any agreement on the matter, if those firms haven't sold such duty-paid produce into Europe by the first of January, they will be forced to pay the very same duty all over again because, of course, the UK will no longer be a part of the European Union.

Even the most conservative estimates for the sums involved run into billions of pounds.

Nevertheless, it could be resolved by introducing an amnesty period for duty-paid goods.

Ministers, though, maintain that the responsibility to do so rests with Brussels and not Westminster.

With time fast running out to tackle the issue before the end of the year, many export businesses and their freight partners have already decided to off-shore their storage provision, setting up warehouse solutions in mainland Europe.

Whilst that may avoid the double duty dilemma - and, therefore, a difficult decision about cutbacks in order to meet the tax bill - it will ultimately result in UK jobs being lost and transferred to the Continent.

Such an entirely avoidable outcome cannot be right.

Simon Reed – Chief Executive

22 July 2020

Simarco has been a prominent figure in the local community and is proud of its connections with so many organisations, charities, sponsorship and events for Witham and the surrounding area.

One Partnership, which is proving very successful is the collaboration with the Maltings and New Rickstones Academies.   Simarco has been involved in several initiatives.

Trevor Scott, Simarco’s Managing Director is passionate about the future of the logistics industry and encouraging school leavers into this sector.  When he was approached by Essex County Council to become an Enterprise Advisor, he grabbed the opportunity.   The logistics industry is an unknown entity to most school leavers and so this was the gateway to promote the skillsets required.  He has been on many panel discussions with educational leadership teams to future proof and develop their careers programme to encourage young adults into the industry.   

Simarco has been a regular visitor to the careers open day events at the Academies and with their forward-thinking approach Simarco has an excellent Apprenticeship programme.  Simarco offer successful school leavers, the opportunity to join their Scheme working in conjunction with South Essex College.  This has been a great success with almost all students achieving BTEC qualifications in business administration and logistics.  They also boast that most trainees have become valid employees within the areas they excelled.  This programme enhances their ethos to promote careers for young adults into the logistics sector.

The last 4 months have been a challenging time for the education system.  Schools, pupils and parents are feeling the effects of COVID-19.  More so, are those who are on the Free School Meals programme which has also highlighted the shortage of advanced online learning capabilities.  Simarco recently announced that they would be pleased to donate ten Chromebooks which will make a huge difference to those students struggling to keep up with their studies.

Simon Reed, Chief Executive at Simarco commented “We are delighted to continue our support for local schools and charities. With so many kids in internet poverty in this country, we realise how important it is for us to continue to help our community.”

Damian Lee, Headteacher from Rickstones Academy quotes “As an academy we have enjoyed a great partnership with Simarco over the past few years where they have provided our students with great careers advice and for many ex-students, employment opportunities. 

For them to recognise the difficulties that some students have in being able to access computer facilities and then provide us with these Chromebooks is both amazing and heart whelming. It shows a real commitment on their part to support their local community.”

The relationship between Simarco and the Academies has been very positive and look forward to seeing what the future holds.

20 July 2020

SIMARCO IS BREXIT READY, ARE YOU? 

As business recovers from the challenges of Covid-19 and we move in to the “new norm” for business, we must now prepare for another major change, in the way we move goods in and out of the UK and Europe.

Simarco are fully prepared for the new procedures. Our teams are being trained ahead of 31st December 2020. Being AEO Accredited, we have the expertise, resource, and facilities to ensure we provide the smoothest possible transition to the new procedures.

The latest publication from UK Government details import and export processes to move goods to and from the UK effective from the 1ST January 2021. Details of the new ‘Border Operating Model’ can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-border-operating-model

All businesses need to be preparing now for importing and exporting with the EU ahead of the 1st January 2021 to ensure their Supply Chains are not unnecessarily disrupted. 

In addition, the Government has published step by step guides for both Exporters and Imports who will continue to trade with the EU.

Details can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/prepare-to-import-to-great-britain-from-january-2021

and

https://www.gov.uk/prepare-to-export-from-great-britain-from-january-2021

There are still many detailed changes to be announced as we move closer to the deadline. Please follow our further bulletins and visit our website for updates as they are made available.

Contact Simarco at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

24th June

Trevor Scott, Managing Director was presented with a framed club shirt as main Sponsors of Witham Town Football Club. The club is run by a team of volunteers who give up their spare time providing a community run club for all ages.

Football is the heart of the club, and since COVID-19 the restrictions in place has stopped all play; a frustrating time for all players old and young. However, life doesn’t stop at football! There are many jobs around the Simarco Stadium to keep everyone busy and they are currently working on a 2 to 3 year project to improve their facilities which our sponsorship has helped fund.

The club’s community spirit continues to strengthen, it is leading the way in the Soccability contribution providing an outlet for disabled children to enjoy football. They have recently been awarded the regional “Grassroots Project of the Year 2020”. We wish them all the best for the National Awards.

This club isn’t just about football, it has a strong sense of community spirit which is one of the reasons why Simarco signed up as its sponsor.