The First-Mile Pivot: Why UK Direct-to-Consumer Brands Are Routing Back Through Hong Kong
A growing number of UK direct-to-consumer brands that moved first-mile operations to European fulfilment centres are quietly reversing course. Hong Kong's combination of low minimum order quantities, rapid turnaround, and manufacturing proximity is proving more valuable than proximity to the UK market—particularly for brands managing frequent SKU launches and micro-batch inventory cycles. The economics, it turns out, are more nuanced than the nearshoring narrative suggested.