The economic picture from the UK looks gloomy. The pound has fallen against the dollar and the euro. This is chiefly because investors have lost confidence in the UK markets since the government's mini-budget.

While most of the proposed measures have been reversed, the pound continues to be weak – and there's no sign yet that it will rally.

Combine that with the ongoing cost of living crisis, and you could be forgiven for thinking that now is a bad time to trade with the UK.

But it's not all doom and gloom. In some cases, the cheaper pound is making some British firms more competitive. It's becoming less expensive for overseas businesses to buy British goods and services.

If you're a business operating outside of the UK, now could be a good time to explore trade with Britain.

For how long will the pound be weak?

Predicting markets is tricky at the best of times, and we don't claim to have a crystal ball. But the signs so far point in the direction of continuing weakness.

One answer to the question was hinted at in a recent article by the American business magazine Forbes. It asked a number of financial experts "What's next for the pound?" 

Here's a collage of their answers:

"I believe the pound will be weak against the dollar for some time… The pound may be in for a slow recovery… The pound remains vulnerable… Sterling weakness is set to continue…"

It's bad news for lots of people – but not if you're based overseas and want access to UK goods and services.

How can non-UK businesses benefit from the weak pound?

Let's say you're a company based outside the UK and you want to start delivering to UK customers. Perhaps you've been put off by the costs of outsourcing warehousing and order fulfilment.

Now's a good time to explore your options. Because of the market volatility that has led to a weakened pound, it's never been cheaper to store and ship from a British warehouse.

By partnering with a 3PL, you can leave the last leg of the customer journey to a company with local knowledge at record-breaking low prices.

It's easy to overpay for shipping and logistics – especially in a foreign market. If you're just beginning to expand into overseas trade, you can't be expected to know the ins and outs of another country's transport infrastructure. The best-case scenario is that you're overpaying – the worst is that you're paying through the nose for avoidable delays.

So while we can't help with finding the most economical route from your country to the UK, we can do just that for the final stages of delivery.

That's because we work with a trusted network of couriers. We're able to find the most cost-effective courier for each order – and as our automated system does this for you, there's no time wasted. We're perfectly situated to get you the best bang for your buck.

Our spacious fulfilment centre is close to a major motorway, meaning quick and easy access to your customers.

And, as we said, these services are now cheaper than ever.

So if you take care of getting your goods to us, we'll take it from there.

Markets we serve

Even before the dramatic fluctuation in the pound, imports to the UK have been growing – in August of this year, they were up by 39% since August 2021.

Now could be the time to partner up with a 3PL and add to that ever-growing list. Here at Stowsafe, we have experience working with a range of sectors, including:

• Fashion and clothing
• Beauty and cosmetics
• Pet products
• Stationery and gifts
• Subscription boxes
• Vitamins and diet supplements
• Luxury goods
• Games and toys
• Sports and health equipment

If you don't see your sector on this list, we can still help. Our operations are built for flexibility – so we can tailor a fulfilment plan to suit your market and your unique requirements.

What we offer

It goes like this. You send us your goods. We receive and store them in our 24,500 square feet warehouse.

When an order comes in, we're instantly notified and get to work picking and packing. We offer options for custom packaging, labels and kitting – whatever you settle on to make your brand sing. Or if you want to keep it plain and simple, we can help you achieve that too.

Our warehouse management system automatically updates your inventory and even notifies you when stocks are low. So though it may be sitting far away in a different country, you can keep an eye on it – with your other eye trained on detailed analytics.

If you need to scale up or down for seasonal reasons – or any other reasons, come to that – then no sweat. We're fully flexible and focused on delivering fast, hassle-free delivery to meet your customers' expectations.

Our watchword is flexibility. We know the challenges of order fulfilment like the backs of our hands – and we want our services to be tailored to your requirements at all times.

The bottom line

We're not going to pretend that the outlook for the British economy is rosy. But it isn't bad news for everyone. If you want to get your goods to the UK, the services needed to achieve this are more affordable than ever – and we can help.

At Stowsafe, we deal with eCommerce fulfilment so that you don't have to. Whatever your sector and wherever you're based, we take routine tasks like picking, packing and dispatching out of your hands – so you can focus on winning business, honing your message and growing your brand.

Interested? Then take a look at our online fulfilment services and get in touch – we'd love to hear from you.