Ten years after the Brexit referendum, new data from wholesale platform JOOR suggests that Brexit has fundamentally reshaped sourcing patterns between UK and EU fashion businesses, with retailers on both sides increasingly favoring domestic and regional suppliers over cross-border purchasing.
According to the analysis, the share of purchases EU retailers devoted to UK fashion brands declined from 17% in 2017 to less than 7% in 2025, while sourcing from EU brands increased from 54% to 69% over the same period (see chart below).
UK retailers also reduced purchases from EU brands after the UK’s departure from the EU Customs Union, with their share of EU sourcing falling from 51% in 2020 to 29% in 2025.
The findings suggest that customs procedures, higher import costs and additional administrative requirements have encouraged both UK and EU retailers to regionalize their sourcing. While EU brands more than tripled their sales on the JOOR platform between 2017 and 2025, much of that growth came from customers within the EU and other international markets rather than the UK.
UK fashion brands, meanwhile, appear to have adapted by strengthening their domestic market while maintaining a relatively stable share of sales to EU retailers.
Brexit didn’t simply reduce trade. It reconfigured wholesale networks. UK and EU fashion companies have adapted their sourcing, logistics and distribution models to a more regional trading environment.
(ps)
