Peterborough's Lifeline IT opens Dutch office to avoid Brexit red tape

A growing tech company in Peterborough has opened an office in Holland in a bid to get round Brexit red tape.

Lifeline IT, which is based at Stuart House, in St John’s Road, has just set up premises in Amsterdam from which it will deliver its services across the European mainland.

Director and co-founder Daniel Mitchell said: “Britain may have left the EU but Lifeline IT is very much still part of Europe.

"Many of our clients have European offices so it made complete sense to expand into Europe so we can continue to service our existing clients without the various logistical challenges that Brexit has brought.

He said: “Amsterdam has fantastic transport links and it’s very much a global city that’s a great place to do business.

"The fact that the majority of people speak English will allow us to work seamlessly between the three Lifeline IT offices.

"By having an office in Amsterdam we are able to put feet on the ground and provide face-to-face support to our UK clients who have European offices.

"Our Amsterdam office will help our Peterborough team, as they will be able to work alongside their European colleagues and gain experience of working across Europe, not just in the UK.

Mr Mitchell added: “We are currently recruiting engineers for our Peterborough office so anyone who’d like to join our team should contact us at [email protected]”

Lifeline IT, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was created jointly by Mr Mitchell and Adam Woolf.

It employs about 30 members of staff, has an office in London an provides services covering everyday IT support, tech consultancy, cyber security and disaster recovery, through to cloud hosting and systems design.

Mr Woolf said: “Following Brexit, due to the duties, paperwork documentation and carriage and customs delays, it’s been incredibly challenging to do business in Europe in a timely manner without having an EU-based team.

"At Lifeline IT we’re all about quick, responsive and efficient service and these delays go against the grain of everything that we stand for as a business, so it made complete sense to open in Europe to get around these difficulties.

"Also, the travel restrictions, such as customs and passport control, are particularly challenging and add extra time if we want to visit our clients in Europe – this means less time to carry out work when we do get on site.

"By having a team based in Europe that can travel around Europe to service clients without these restrictions and delays is incredibly advantageous.

"Amsterdam is also a fantastic travel hub with great connections in and out of Europe, which was another reason to open an office in the city.”

The UK’s decision in 2016 to leave the European Union has also encouraged a number of Europe-based businesses to open operations in Peterborough.

France-based Patatam, which sells quality second-hand clothing, agreed a 10 year lease on a warehouse in the Centurion Business Centre, in Bretton, in 2018.

And the following year, Dutch paint supplier Anker Stuy moved into a warehouse at Alpha Park, in Bretton.