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Brooks saddles, one of the most iconic cycling components still made in Britain, has been forced to halt sales to customers in Britain because of Brexit.
The news follows Canyon temporarily ceasing deliveries to Britain and also the Dutch Bike Bits company, which sells components, halting sales to Britain for the same reason.
Dutch Bike Bits said after Brexit any company in the
world selling into Britain was required to register with the British authorities
for VAT, collect VAT for them and return that VAT to Britain while also being
required to open itself to inspection to the British tax authorities.
Brooks England said while its saddles were still made in
Britain, they were shipped to Italy when completed and from Italy they were
distributed to customers worldwide.
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That Italian feature of its business – since it was acquired by Italian saddle company Selle Royal in 2002 – has now complicated its relationship with its customers in Britain and, for now, forced a halt to sales directly to customers in Britain.
However, in a statement it said it was also working towards correcting the situation so all customers could buy direct from them. And while Brooks also makes other cycling products, only its saddles were mentioned in its statement.
“At Brooks England, we continue to produce each leather saddle in our West Midlands factory in more or less the same manner as we have for over 150 years,” the company said in a statement.
“However, upon their completion, since some time these saddles are shipped first to our logistics centre in Italy and from there to cyclists around the world.
“Due to this, the ongoing changes in the Brexit situation have made it necessary to temporarily suspend all new orders to the UK at this time. However, orders received before 12.00 CET on 29 December will be regularly processed.
“Additionally, we will be extending our return window for purchases made prior to this announcement so as to allow for easy returns despite procedural delays. We appreciate your patience while we analyse this situation and plan the proper administrative steps moving forward.”
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