Nikon UK has temporarily stopped taking new orders from its online store, due to Brexit-related trading frictions, but says its expects the store to "reopen shortly".
A notice on Nikon's UK site says that "we will temporarily not be taking any new orders", which it puts down to the "changes brought on by Brexit".
But a new Nikon statement given to TechRadar has provided a little more clarity for anyone who's looking to buy a new camera like the Nikon Z6 II, or has recently ordered one.
Referring to the suspension of the Nikon UK store, which has seen every product marked as "coming soon", the statement says "we expect this to reopen shortly".
For those who have recently ordered from the store, it added "customers who have already placed an order with Nikon via the Nikon Store should rest assured that their order will still be processed and should expect their order to arrive as soon as possible."
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While Nikon wasn't able to give a precise timeframe for the fulfilment of those orders or the reopening of its UK store, it did make some further positive noises about stock.
The statement adds: "Nikon have commenced shipments to our trade/retail partners, with a regular shipment schedule in place. Naturally, we may incur potential delays at the border as the new process takes force, however we remain committed to minimising delays within our own processes."
The issues have likely been caused by the Nikon UK store's distribution being based in Europe, and therefore subject to the customs friction that's been hitting all imports since the UK officially left the European Union on January 1.
Of course, it's still possible to buy cameras like the Nikon Z6 II from retailers who already have stock in the UK. But there are some signs of shortages elsewhere – for example, Amazon UK is currently listing both the Z6 II and Z7 II as "temporarily out of stock".
Slow lane
Hopefully for UK-based Nikon fans, the issues will only be temporary and the store will indeed "reopen shortly", as Nikon says. But it's also still not clear how long the suspension of new orders will last.
While the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) agreed between the UK and EU does eliminate tariffs and quotas for goods traded between the two partners, it doesn't insulate companies from the added customs costs and administrative headaches caused by the switch to a new trading relationship.
These include new checks, paperwork and delivery delays that have prompted many European retailers to temporarily halt deliveries to the UK – and similar issues appear to be affecting companies whose distribution is based in the EU.
While Nikon UK is unusual in calling a temporary halt to all new orders, its rivals have similar warnings about Brexit-related delays. The Canon UK store, for example, says that "you can expect delays on orders placed from 28/12", due to "the changes brought on by Brexit".
Despite those reassurances from Nikon, if you've been eyeing up a Nikon Z6 II or new Z-mount lens, it might be wise to snap one up from a UK retailer sooner rather than later to avoid the possibility of delays.
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