WHSmith is stockpiling pens, paper and other stationery in case of a no-deal Brexit

WHSmith is stockpiling pens and other stationery in case of a no-deal Brexit, it has been reported.

The retailer told Bloomberg it is topping up stocks of stationery it imports from Asia in case supplies are disrupted due to delays at ports.

WHSmith’s CEO Stephen Clarke told Bloomberg the chain will hold five to six months’ worth of stock rather than its usual three to four months.

He said: “We’re used to holding quite a bit of forward cover in terms of stock anyway, so what we’ve done is topped that up a little bit to put ourselves in an even better position should there be congestion at ports.”

WHSmith is the latest company to reveal contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit.

According to The Times, clothing retailer Joules said its measures including arranging earlier deliveries of spring-summer product lines and setting up a third-party distribution warehouse in Europe to serve EU customers.

Fashion retailer Burberry’s finance chief Julie Brown has also said that the company will be taking “mitigating” actions ready for a no-deal Brexit.

COUNTDOWN TO BREXIT – ANALYSIS FROM YAHOO UK

Where do Theresa May’s ministers stand on Brexit?
Post-Brexit trip to Europe? Try these non-EU alternatives
Bank of England governor ‘confident’ about UK banks’ Brexit readiness
Don’t be fooled – the biggest battle over Brexit starts now
Hard Brexit ‘could cripple UK science’ warn Nobel Prize winners