SEKO to open London facility to handle U.K.-E.U. e-commerce

U.S.-based SEKO Logistics released news of its plan to open a 22,000-square-foot facility in London, catering to its cross-border e-commerce clients moving product through the hub. This will be the ninth facility the 3PL will operate in the U.K., citing the region as is the third-largest e-commerce market in the world, and SEKO’s largest market in its global network.

Keith O’Brien, SEKO’s chief operating officer, EMEA, said that SEKO’s “biggest growth area” in the past two to three years has been “helping British companies to quickly access the lucrative cross-border e-commerce space,” which the company forecasts will continue to increase, due to international demand for British exports.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) made news last month when the government passed the bill that granted the airport permission to expand, including the addition of a third runway, a measure which intends to address the congestion problem at the hub, causing stakeholders in the U.K. logistics market to rejoice.

Brian Bourke, vice president of marketing at SEKO, told Air Cargo World that its clients in Australia, U.S., Canada, New Zealand, China, the Middle East and various European Union countries will be the benefactors of this investment, the latter of which will be the most interesting to observe.

SEKO acknowledged the looming effects of Brexit, which will shift the trade dynamics between the E.U. and the U.K., and said it will be ready to tackle the adjustment period. O’Brien commented, “As a customs broker and 3PL, we will also help to ensure they are fully prepared for all eventualities, once the full outcome of the U.K.-E.U. negotiations is known.”