For example, retailer B&M – which has 600 stores and employs more than 28,000 staff across the UK – earlier this month committed to shipping 80% of its stock via Liverpool, up from 50% previously, after suffering consistent delays at Felixstowe and Southampton.
"[B&M’s decision] marks a further shift away from southern ports, with problems only expected to worsen as Brexit moves closer, congestion shows no sign of easing and delays get longer,” said Roger Megann, head of commercial (containers) at Peel Ports, which runs the port of Liverpool.