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Brexit: German firm stockpiling toilet rolls for anxious Brits

The Local Germany
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Brexit: German firm stockpiling toilet rolls for anxious Brits
Photo: DPA

A German firm has been stockpiling an extra 600 tonnes of toilet and kitchen paper - that’s about 3.5 million rolls - in UK warehouses as part of no-deal Brexit preparations.

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Wepa, which has its headquarters in Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, is one of the UK's biggest suppliers of toilet and kitchen paper. 

It's been revealed that the firm has been storing away extra products over the last few months to make sure Britain has a large supply in case it comes crashing out of the EU on March 29th without an agreement in place.

The company has also reportedly built six weeks’ supplies of the cardboard core used inside toilet and kitchen rolls, as this cannot be sourced from the UK in sufficient quantities and is imported from EU countries in eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

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Wepa is the latest company to unveil its preparations for a no-deal Brexit. Businesses across Europe have been stockpiling products, moving their offices, closing down or generally getting things in order due to Brexit uncertainty.  

It is feared that customs checks that could come into force after a no-deal Brexit, as well as trade difficulties, will hit businesses across the EU where it hurts. 

As the Local has reported according to a survey, a quarter of firms in Germany expect that if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement it place, it will lead to job losses in their workforce.

Planning since August

Wepa’s UK managing director, Mike Docker, said the firm had been planning for Brexit since August last year to make sure we maintain our levels of service. 

“The industry is pretty reliant on imports," he added. "What we’ve concentrated on is a hard Brexit. That’s the worst-case scenario for us, where we’d probably see major delays at the border.” 

Wepa said demand for toilet and kitchen roll had gone up 7% in the past month, though this could also be affected by promotions in the supermarkets.

The main UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda are among Wepa's customers. It reportedly sells 80,000 tonnes to UK suppliers every year.

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