Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH expat claims his bike business has already changed ‘dramatically’ since the UK voted for Brexit.
Gary Routledge, originally from Elgin, Scotland, has been living in Quesada on the Costa Blanca for the past 10 years.
The Scot, who is currently applying for citizenship in Spain, has run a bike shop for almost a decade.
But since the Brexit vote he has had to almost entirely stop ordering parts from the UK.
He said: “Since Brexit kicked in we have started to buy less bikes from the UK due to the fact that bikes have gone up in value – they charge us more for the same bike.
“So we are now buying more Spanish bikes. We buy 80% of our bikes from Spain now and 20% from the UK, whereas it used to be 100% from the UK.
“So the UK is losing out both from us and the wholesalers who we speak to.”
Since the Brexit vote and the fluctuation in exchange rates, UK exports have been cheaper. It is cheaper for Spanish business to buy UK produce. Whatever Mr Routledge reason for not buying UK produce anymore, it is quite clearly not Brexit related…
The cost of raw materials for British manufacturers has concomitantly risen because of Brexit idiocy and it’s effect on the pound. Therefore bicycles from the UK cost more than they used to. Also, his Brit customers will have less to spend due to lousy exchange rates (ask any expat pensioner) Simples.