Grindstore称欧盟新海关收费生效后订单降61%

Steff Aquarone MP will take evidence to Parliament from North Norfolk-based Grindstore after visiting the business in Holt and hearing how dramatically its European trade has fallen—a decline he says underlines the cost of Britain remaining outside a customs union with the EU.

Grindstore says its EU orders have fallen by more than 60% since new European customs arrangements came into force in July, despite the business having recorded strong growth in Europe at the beginning of the year. Figures provided by Grindstore show it received 2,371 EU retail orders between the 1st of July and 8th of October this year, compared with 6,128 during the equivalent period in 2025—a fall of 61.3%, representing 3,757 fewer orders.

The recent decline follows a period of strong growth. Grindstore says its EU retail orders were up 40% year-on-year during January and February 2026, with orders from France alone up almost 149%.

North Norfolk MP Steff Aquarone visited Grindstore in Holt on Friday 16 October to hear directly from the team about the effect the changes are having on the business.

Grindstore, which has operated in North Norfolk for around 16 years and employs 25 people, says additional customs and handling costs have forced it to substantially increase what it charges customers for delivery.

• New customs arrangements introduced in July mean that a €3 customs charge is applied to each type of item in affected orders, alongside additional handling fees. This superseded the €2 levy introduced in France in March.
• The effect of these charges means the company’s average shipping charge on euro-denominated orders has risen from €4.09 to €11.07—an increase of around 171%.

The business says the problem has partly been the lack of information or notice. It is also concerned about further charges expected as soon as November and the impact these could have on Christmas orders.

For Grindstore, these new EU levies have had a devastating impact on our European sales. We’ve seen EU orders fall by over 60% compared with the same period last year.

What’s particularly frustrating is that we spent months improving our product listings and growing our European business, only to see that progress undone by charges completely outside our control.

Our biggest concern now is the months ahead. With Christmas being such an important trading period, we’re facing the prospect of losing thousands more orders and a substantial amount of revenue.

We’ve worked hard to maintain our European business despite the challenges of Brexit, but these additional costs are making it increasingly difficult for UK businesses like ours to compete.

And this isn’t just about Grindstore. Fewer orders from European customers mean less money coming into UK businesses and the wider UK economy.

– Martin Glover, Director, Grindstore

Steff had already raised Grindstore’s concerns with Trade Minister Anas Sarwar in July, asking what assessment Government had made of the impact of the changes on British SMEs and what support could be provided.

The Government subsequently said it was monitoring implementation and engaging with businesses and European counterparts.

Grindstore’s figures are stark: a North Norfolk business that was growing its European trade has seen EU orders fall by more than 60% since July.

“Ministers say they are monitoring the impact. But businesses exporting from my constituency say they’ve been unable to find any information—let alone evidence of attempts to negotiate a reduction in customs charges or a customs union. I’ll take them this evidence and press for practical support and much clearer guidance.

– Steff Aquarone MP

Grindstore has also told Steff that it struggled to find sufficiently clear information ahead of the changes, including what businesses would need to do to adapt their delivery arrangements.

Its previous European courier informed the company just two days before the July changes took effect that it would need to find another shipping solution, according to Grindstore.

Steff will now take the evidence gathered during his visit back to the Trade Minister and ask what assessment is being made of the impact across other British exporters, what practical assistance can be offered to affected SMEs, and how Government will ensure businesses receive clearer information ahead of further changes.

Current UK Government guidance says an additional EU-wide handling fee on e-commerce goods is expected from November.