Europa Road
ince its relocation from Wakefield to Leeds last year, European road freight operator Europa Road has seen steady growth in goods exported for local firms.
Over the last 12 months the Kirkstall Road company has seen a 20 per cent increase in consignments and has also now returned to offering pre-Brexit delivery times.
The team (of eight) moved to Leeds last year from an office on Junction 39 near Wakefield, but Europa Road has been based in the region for over 10 years, being one of the first sites selected when the firm was bought in 2013.
For over a decade now, the road freight operator has been supporting importers and exporters from the across Yorkshire alongside its Sheffield office.
The Leeds team are responsible for the supply chain fulfilment for some significant brands, including a major manufacturer of bottled water for which Europa manages monthly exports to Belgium for use across commercial airlines.
Europa Road is the European road freight division of the UK’s largest independent operator Europa Worldwide Group, headquartered in Dartford. As a market leader for UK-EU distribution, the company handles more than double the volume of its nearest competitor.
The Leeds team is led by Sam Hogg, who is celebrating five years at Europa and three as Branch Manager. Sam has seen how the market has changed since Brexit and is pleased to be back offering pre-Brexit delivery time.
Yorkshire and the Humber region exported £17bn worth of goods in 2021 – the latest figures available from the office of National Statistics, with the biggest goods exporting sector is manufacturing (worth £12bn), the EU being the region’s largest export market, followed by the USA.
Sam Hogg, Branch Manager for Europa in Leeds comments “It continues to be a tough time for British exporters, but we appreciate that exporting offers many opportunities for businesses to grow, so are pleased that we have invested in our infrastructure resulting in improved delivery times for our customers, returning to pre-Brexit times.
“We know that many UK firms simply stopped shipping to the EU overnight due to the customs challenges and complexities. That’s why we created Europa Flow following £5m investment in technology and infrastructure, this eases exports to the EU on DDP terms. Europa Flow eliminates hassle by removing the need to appoint a customs broker, complete import declarations or pay import duties, whilst the process zero rates the import VAT.
“Since the launch of the pioneering service, we have delivered over 400,000 consignments. Across the country about 50 per cent of all the company’s UK groupage exports now use DDP demonstrating the huge local demand for hassle free exports.”
Europa is currently offering transit times to Hungary in 4.1 days, Italy in 3.9 days, Denmark in 3.5 days and Germany in 3.1 days. It also offers a no quibble Money Back Guarantee on all European freight options – groupage, part and full loads, and dedicated vans. The company’s 1Hub is strategically located close to the Dartford Crossing and comprises of 26,368 sq. transit hub, built in 2015.
Adrian Redmile, Branch and Sales Director at Europa Worldwide Group adds: “Sam and the Leeds team have supported customers with an excellent service, through some challenging times and their growth demonstrates the value they are bring to our customers. We know exporters have been grappling with delays on time-critical consignments over the past few years, so we’re delighted to have returned to offering pre-Brexit delivery times whatever the goods shipped.”