International Trade

Crossing a border is a paperwork problem with a brand attached. Customs classification, labelling, certificates of origin, import licensing, distributor margin, a registered entity or none of those — and a product that was beautiful in its home market sitting in a customs warehouse because one certificate was missing.

This is the least glamorous part of what we do and, for a brand expanding beyond its home market, frequently the part that decides whether the expansion works.

What is actually involved

The commercial question comes first: is there a route to market in this market that a business of this size can survive? Not theoretically — through real distributors, real margins and real shelf space, most of which requires someone local to be trusted.

Then the work. Finding and qualifying partners rather than being handed a list. Negotiating terms that do not strand the brand when the partner changes their mind. Regulatory and compliance requirements, handled with partners who do this daily. Logistics that account for the fact that a season is eighteen months long from the day the sample is approved. And localising the brand — pricing, pack, claims and language — enough to be credible without losing the thing that made it worth importing.

deliverables:

• title: Market-entry assessment text: Whether this market works for this brand, and what the realistic route is. icon: ri:map-2-line
• title: Distributor & partner identification text: A qualified shortlist with the reasoning attached, not a list of names. icon: ri:links-line
• title: Trade & retail partnerships text: Negotiation, terms, and the exit clauses most people leave out. icon: ri:shake-hands-line
• title: Regulatory & compliance guidance text: Handled with partners who do this daily. With our partners, not by us alone. icon: ri:file-shield-2-line
• title: Logistics & supply coordination text: Lead times, freight, and the seasonality nobody plans for until it is too late. icon: ri:ship-2-line
• title: Localisation of brand & pricing text: Enough adaptation to be credible, not so much that it stops being the brand. icon: ri:translate-2

process:

• title: Assess text: Demand, competition, regulation and the realistic margin stack.
• title: Qualify text: Shortlist partners and approach them with a real proposition, not a catalogue.
• title: Agree text: Terms, compliance, logistics and the launch plan, in that order.
• title: Land text: First shipment, first orders, and the review that tells you whether to expand.

outcomes:

• title: A market that works commercially metric: Assessed before entry
• title: Partners who stay metric: Post-launch retention
• title: Product on the shelf, legally metric: First clearance, first time

faqs:

• q: Do you handle customs and compliance yourselves? a: >- No, and we say so plainly. We manage the requirement and work with specialist partners who do it daily. What we do is make sure the requirement was identified before it became a held shipment.
• q: Which markets do you work in? a: >- [[PRIMARY_MARKETS]] is still being confirmed with the owner and will be published here once it is. We would rather leave this blank than imply a presence we cannot evidence.
• q: How long does market entry take? a: >- Three to nine months for a first entry, most of it in compliance and partner negotiation rather than in the launch itself.