Fortnum & Mason has announced the relaunch of its online service for European Union customers. The luxury food and drink retailer is the first of its kind to resume online deliveries to the EU since the cessation of the service due post-Brexit customs challenges.
The company has established a dedicated fulfilment centre in Belgium, which will serve as the shipping hub for 15 European countries. This EU-based operation aims to ensure a consistent and reliable service for Fortnum & Mason’s European clientele. Additionally, the brand is extending the service to UK customers who wish to send gifts to acquaintances residing in the EU—a feature that previously accounted for nearly half of all EU deliveries. Before the Brexit transition, EU deliveries constituted over 15% of the brand’s total online sales.
Fortnum & Mason will initially offer a select range of its most popular products, including The Taste of Fortnum’s Hamper, the Magnificent Spode Christmas Pudding, and the Toffolossus Biscuits. The company plans to expand this curated selection in anticipation of the 2023 Christmas season.
The relaunch is aligned with Fortnum & Mason’s broader international growth strategy. Earlier this year, the brand inaugurated a retail outlet at Hong Kong International Airport, supplementing its flagship store in K11 MUSEA. Furthermore, the company has disclosed plans to establish a presence at Dubai International Airport (DBX) in the near future. The United States, currently the brand’s second-largest market following the UK, is also on the radar for potential expansion.
Tom Athron, CEO of Fortnum & Mason, stated, “Fortnum & Mason is a brand that is loved the world-over, and so I am delighted to be launching our new EU website, to allow customers across Europe to shop with us once again. Outstanding customer service is vitally important to us at Fortnum’s, and our new EU based fulfilment centre will allow us to navigate the post-Brexit export challenges to provide a robust delivery service to our customers in the EU. We are excited by the opportunities that our new EU website brings, as our online business continues to grow, both at home and internationally. This has been an ambitious project, and I am thrilled that after 317 years, Fortnum & Mason are still delivering firsts.”
Fortnum & Mason will be shipping to the following countries in the EU: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden.
