Import / Export & Distribution
Distribution is a working capital business. We treat it as one.
Importers and distributors live or die on supplier reliability, freight cost, inventory turn, and the gap between selling price and landed cost. We work on every link in that chain.
Definition
Import, export and distribution SMEs are product businesses whose primary commercial model is buying product in volume from overseas suppliers (or selling UK product to overseas customers) and distributing through wholesale, retail or marketplace channels. Cash cycles, supplier risk, and customs compliance are central operational concerns.
The operational picture in distribution
- One or two anchor suppliers carry continuity risk that's never been quantified
- Sea freight cost volatility can wipe out a year's net margin
- Inventory turn is slower than it needs to be; cash is tied up in slow-movers
- Customs declarations done reactively; commodity codes wrong; duty being overpaid
- UKCA / CE / REACH compliance gaps becoming enforcement risk
- Working capital constantly stretched between supplier payments and customer collections
- Founder doing both commercial and operational, neither at the level the business needs
What we work on for distributors and importers
- Supplier base review and diversification strategy
- Freight forwarder benchmarking and contract negotiation
- Customs and duty optimisation, AEO application support
- Inventory model rebuild: forecasting, safety stock, slow-mover liquidation
- Working capital improvement: stock turn, supplier terms, customer terms
- Compliance audit and remediation (UKCA, CE, REACH, country-of-origin)
- Wholesale operations: customer onboarding, credit policy, EDI
- Senior operational hiring to support continued scale
Services we apply most often in import / export & distribution
FAQ
Do you work with food, drink, or chemical importers?
We work on general supply chain and operational principles. For category-specific regulation (FSA, MHRA, HSE) we work alongside specialist regulatory consultants and do not pretend to substitute for them.
Can you negotiate with our freight forwarder?
Yes. Freight benchmarking and renegotiation is one of the most common early wins in a distribution engagement, typical savings of 8 to 15% on contracted rates.
How do you handle currency exposure?
We work on the operational hedging: invoicing currency choice, supplier payment timing, natural hedges. For financial hedging instruments we work alongside the company's accountants and bank.
Is AEO worth applying for?
For most £5m+ distributors importing from outside the EU, yes, the operational benefits (deferred VAT, fewer inspections, customs simplifications) typically pay back the application effort within 12 months.
Do you only work with importers, or also exporters?
Both. The operational challenges of UK SMEs exporting to EU, US or MENA mirror the import-side challenges in reverse, VAT, customs, freight, fulfilment, returns.
30 minutes, no pitch.
Bring the operational picture, leave with the next two or three things to action.