The United Kingdom is the world's top cross-border destination with inbound traffic from China making up a large proportion of the small parcels received.
This growing trade route is of crucial importance and we recently had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation of 40 business owners from China to our Bedford Super Depot to explore the future of cross-border trade between China and the UK.
An International Exchange of Ideas
The delegation, organised by the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, is touring UK companies with strong trading links to China. Their visit gave us the chance to share how we partner with Chinese businesses to streamline international parcel delivery by offering seamless customs clearance while utilising multiple carriers with one point of contact.
Our own Laurie Oakley, International New Business Sales Director, hosted the discussions alongside partners from Hube.com and Diligence. Together, we explored the strategies, processes and technology that help Chinese retailers reach UK consumers with speed and reliability.
Laurie Oakley presents an overview of the Whistl Group
Visit Highlights the China-UK Ecommerce Opportunity
It’s no surprise that interest is high. In 2024 alone, £3 billion worth of small parcels arrived in the UK from China - representing 51% of the nation's small parcel imports. As the UK’s largest broker in cross-border mail and parcel delivery, the Whistl Group is operating at the heart of this global trade flow.
The UK consumer appetite for goods of Chinese-origin is in part reflected in China's position as the world's leading market, generating £1.51trn in eCommerce revenue according to figures from ECDB.
Meanwhile, Chinese cross-border eCommerce exports amounted to around £133.2 billion in 2024, second only to the United States.
Delegation member, Yang Xiao, commented: “We would like to thank Whistl for their hospitality and an informative presentation and tour.”
Visitors from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business oversee operations from the viewing gallery at Whistl Bedford
Building Strong Cross-Border Ecommerce Partnerships
The visit was a fantastic step towards deeper collaboration and shared growth. By building strong international partnerships, we’re ensuring that UK consumers have access to the products they want and that Chinese eCommerce businesses have a trusted partner for fast and reliable import shipping.
We’re excited to keep driving cross-border eCommerce forward and helping businesses thrive on both sides of the trade lane.
Laurie Oakley said: “We were delighted to welcome our visitors to talk through how Whistl can help them to trade in the UK and get their goods into the hands of consumers. We look forward to developing long-term delivery management relationships with businesses in China.”
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