Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European union, will bring changes for many people. After years of negotiations and missed deadlines, in January 2020 Britain officially left the EU, although a transition period will mean that nothing really changes until the end of the year. Despite the situation remaining frustratingly opaque, what we do know is that expats living in the UK and UK citizens living abroad will be particularly affected by the decision.
Many companies have already reacted by moving their offices from the UK to other cities on the European mainland. As a German moving company, we are keeping a careful eye on these developments, and being firm believers in the free movement of labour, we are keen to help out where we can.
It’s interesting to note that large German firms operating in the UK, such as BMW or Bayer, or a variety of German banks and financial services based in London, have been planning for this outcome for a while, and are well advanced in re-locating various parts of their business. Plenty of German cities are very attractive to big business, but workers based in the UK will find a lot to like about life in Germany, and might be tempted to jump ship and make the move.
Frankfurt is already one of the key financial centres of European finance, and is poised to become more important as it takes over a portion of the Euro-based financial services and instruments from London. Expect to hear more and more English on the streets, as British and American bankers will be making deals from Germany rather London in the near future.
Berlin is one of the most important European start-up capitals, attracting a lot of talent due to it’s laid back, tolerant and creative vibe. It’s also very affordable, with a low cost of living and real estate. For example, an apartment in Berlin costs a third of what a comparable place in London does.
Munich has the headquarters of many giants of the German manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries. It’s also one of the most liveable European cities, with plenty of green spaces, the Alps on the doorstep and a great beer-garden culture.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that hundreds of companies that were previously based in Britain have made Germany their new home. Since Brexit, the number of companies established in Germany has risen by 34%.
When the location of office jobs changes, workers are left with a decision to make. Companies are often keen to take their best workers with them, and will usually do everything they can to facilitate a smooth relocation. However, if you have begun to put down roots, it can be a difficult decision to move to another country.
There are always costs involved when moving, which can be broadly divided into social and economic. Social costs include the separation of friends and family, finding new schools for children, new clubs or hobbies, learning new languages, re-training, etc. The economic costs are the costs for the move (if you’re lucky the company will pick up these costs!): time to find the right offer, prepare all your items and sort out appropriate insurance in case something goes wrong.
Smoovr supports the movement of labor, and therefore it’s our mission to help with the economic aspect of your move. Thanks to our wide network of professional moving companies we can present you with the best price, and what’s more, take care of all the planning, preparation and insurance. All in all, you will have a smooth move.
Whether you’re moving from the UK to Germany, or moving back from Germany to the UK, we’ll be there to make the journey easy and stress-free, at an affordable price.
We manage to offer the best prices because we apply many means to make the moves more efficient than our competition. We avoid driving empty – our trucks are loaded whether they travel to the UK, or back to Germany. We have dedicated drivers who can get behind the wheel once the truck is loaded. We also use flexible moving teams, who will be ready and waiting at the start or destination address when more hands are needed. Our trucks are modern and well maintained, thus down-time is unusual. We use the latest IT for a slipstreamed back-office and effective organization. Further, we use WhatsApp for fast and uncomplicated communication with our customers and moving team.
So what are you waiting for? If Brexit has got you thinking about moving, then send us a request today, and we’ll be happy to get back to you with a personalized offer.
One of our UK moving teams unloading an excited expat just starting their new life in an apartment in the centre of Munich, 81541
