An online retailer whose revenues have been on an upward trajectory has become the latest business to highlight the vast financial impact of Brexit on the 海角视频.
Leicester entrepreneur Ravi Karia launched an e-commerce business in 2010 selling sells socks, thermal underwear, hats, gloves and bedding to shoppers all over the world.
Five years ago he adapted it into a tech company offering a seamless link between suppliers and big online shops such as B&Q, Debenhams.com, La Redoute, Amazon and Decathlon.
The big retailers integrate his software into their own systems and his business, called Pertemba, acts as the middle man 鈥 without shoppers ever knowing the difference.
Lines sold include Trespass, Regatta, Mountain Warehouse, Hype and Clarkes and he also deals with licence-holders for brands such as Fortnite and Minecraft.
Mr Karia said sales are currently around 拢22 million and rising, but he said Brexit trade barriers are costing him up to 拢1 million a month in lost EU business. Despite that he is still working hard to grow EU sales.
He said: 鈥淏rexit has affected us. My business would have sales of 拢35 million right now if it were not for Brexit.
鈥淚f an EU online marketplace wants a non-EU company to ship directly to its EU customers there needs to be so much compliance. When you start talking to a new EU online marketplace they just say they don鈥檛 want it all.
鈥淭here鈥檚 at least 拢10 million of business in Europe that we can鈥檛 access because my stock is in the 海角视频.
鈥淪o we鈥檝e got a third party warehouse in Belgium 鈥 which has been a difficult experience and is not perfect. We鈥檝e also had to persuade suppliers to move stock to Europe. It鈥檚 been painful.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 vote for Brexit. I knew it would be difficult for my business but it鈥檚 happened now.
鈥淚ronically the silver lining is there aren鈥檛 now competitors trying to do what we鈥檙e doing from the 海角视频. But it would have been much better for us to be able to launch products directly from here to Germany or France.
鈥淭he alternative to having people overseas is you do not grow.鈥
His comments come amid growing criticism of the impact of Brexit on Britain, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt now conceding Boris Johnson鈥檚 Brexit deal caused damaging trade barriers with the European Union.
Last week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said 鈥渧ery clearly Brexit was an economic own goal鈥 that had harmed growth.
The economic think tank鈥檚 director Paul Johnson said it has been 鈥渧ery bad news indeed and continues to be bad news, particularly the way that we鈥檝e done it, the hard type of Brexit we鈥檝e had, distancing ourselves from the single market鈥.
While the OBR said the 海角视频鈥檚 "trade intensity" would be 15 per cent lower in the long run than if the 海角视频 had remained in the EU.
Mr Karia 鈥 who is now considering buying a company in Europe to try and even out the issues 鈥 was this year's LeicestershireLive Entrepreneur of the Year and the the Department for International Trade's 2020-2022 Export Champion.
He before moving to the technology side of things. He now has 70 people in the 海角视频 and 50 in India on the tech, data entry and customer service side of things.
There are about 60 or so suppliers on the Pertemba system selling through around 100 marketplaces worldwide without breaking a sweat, and all the stock comes through the Leicester warehouse. A US partnership is also being launched.
One of the beauties of the tech he provides is it can allow clients to move into new marketplaces without having to adapt their own websites or technology.
He said: 鈥淲e started as an online retailer but I was thinking 鈥渉ow do I grow the business?鈥.
鈥淚 needed bigger premises, more money, more people, but got thinking that what I鈥檓 really good at is technology 鈥 that鈥檚 my strength and I realised I needed to use technology to overcome the barriers we were facing.
鈥淚 thought if I don鈥檛 have to invest in stock myself that solves all the problems. So I built the systems and the developers took it on. Now we have a defined brand and strategy and more people are coming on board.鈥
Like many online retail businesses Petremba thrived when people were stuck indoors during lockdown.
He said: 鈥淭he company was always growing. We were around 拢18 million in turnover, and trying to get to over 拢20 million, but when Covid hit it shot up to 拢27 million in a year because we were able to stay open when other shops were shut.
鈥淥n top of that our competitors were quite slow to the game while we were able to adapt quickly, bounce-back and fulfil orders.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing phenomenal numbers outside the 海角视频.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how the business has transformed. We have streamlined everything so we can take on a supplier in a week and a new marketplace within a week as opposed to months and months.
鈥淭hings are not as busy as during Covid, but we are still trading at 拢22 million, and in the next three years want to get to 拢35 million.鈥
Pertemba is still owned by Mr Karia and his father, and has grown without outside investment. There has been interest from potential buyers over the years, he said, though he isn鈥檛 prepared to hazard how much the company might be worth.
