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PARIS, Jan 4 (Reuters) - A Paris branch of British retailer
Marks & Spencer said fresh ready-made pasta dishes were
unavailable on Monday because post-Brexit trade rules had
disrupted deliveries across the Channel.
As of Jan. 1, goods travelling back and forth between
Britain and the European Union are subject to customs and other
bureaucratic hurdles that did not previously exist due to the
UK's departure from the EU free trade zone on Dec. 31.
At the Marks & Spencer store in a shopping centre in the
Porte Maillot district of western Paris, a chill cabinet that
usually contains fresh ready-made meals was empty late on
Monday, apart from a handful of refrigerated pizzas.
A sign in French on the cabinet read: "Following the latest
government directives on the transition of goods between the
United Kingdom and France, we have not been able to receive our
delivery today. Please accept our apologies for the
inconvenience."
The head office of Marks & Spencer in London had no
immediate comment, and the company which operates the Porte
Maillot franchise, SFH Invest group, did not immediately respond
to a request for comment.
Items absent from the empty cabinet included chicken and
mushroom risotto, and mushroom pappardelle, according to the
labels on the shelves.
The rest of the store appeared to be stocked as usual.
So far there has been no congestion at the British port of
Dover or in the French port of Calais -- the route for a large
part of cross-Channel trade -- and goods seemed to be moving
smoothly, officials and trucking operators said.
The traffic flow was lower than usual, however, they said.
A trade deal agreed between Britain and the EU in December
avoided tariffs on trade, but did not avoid new red tape.
(Reporting by Christian Lowe and Sarah White in Paris, and
James Davey in London
Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
