What advice would you give to those companies that are now wondering how they should approach the market in mainland Europe?
Ultimately it comes down to a simple question of maths: Does it make more economic sense to stay in the UK and adapt to the new processes? Or to relocate to a country within the EU or to open a European branch office? That’s not an easy question. That’s why Bremeninvest aims to support companies with answers to all their questions on Brexit. We represent Bremen as a business location. As an economic development agency, we can guide companies through arrival and capital investment, and assist them in finding new partners and overcoming all the bureaucratic hurdles.
Is it worthwhile relocating a company’s headquarters, or at least setting up a branch office?
The truth is I don’t know. Nobody does yet. But what I do know is that businesses cannot ignore the question. We need to keep pushing for answers. There are no guarantees for worst or best case scenarios, no guarantees for a hard or a soft Brexit.
The discussions are still ongoing and the deals are still a long way off being agreed – so is there any point in making concrete plans yet?
Brexit isn’t something businesses can hope to just ‘ride out’. Companies who don’t take action will certainly lose out. They will be overtaken by the ones who got in there early to seek out the best solution. Those who act now to secure a partner that understands their needs and guides them through the entire process will be well prepared – no matter what shape Brexit finally takes. Bremeninvest is just that partner – we can also put businesses in touch with leading experts in areas such as taxes, duties, labour, import and export.
Mr Gerber, thank you for talking to us.
If you are interested in investing in Bremen from abroad, please feel free to contact Andreas Gerber, head of the international relocation team, +49 (0) 421 9600-123, gerber@bremen-invest.com.
Brexit and Bremen
Britons in Bremen: read the interview with Fiona Moore and the article about Zareer Dadachanji.
The Chamber of Commerce for Bremen and Bremerhaven runs Brexit-themed events and has further information and newsletters on Brexit.
Want to find out more about Bremen?
You can read all about living in Bremen in our Marketing for Bremen section.
You can find out about other things that Bremen has to offer from our city showcase: the city portal bremen.de has more information and useful tips for getting to know, and love, Bremen.