Motorola says it will try to “mitigate” potential post-Brexit price hikes

Motorola says it will work to “mitigate” Brexit price hikes, but has warned that the divide could affect all consumer products.

When asked about potential Brexit-fuelled price hikes to the newly launched Moto G7 range, Motorola’s regional director for Europe, Roberto Gomez Reyes, told Trusted Reviews that the company will attempt to keep its prices stable, wherever possible.

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“Obviously Brexit will have an impact on FX rates, and when that happens we always try to minimise the [impact on the consumer] as much as possible – we usually take the hit,” Reyes said.

“But this will affect all consumer products on the market, so it’s hard to speculate what will happen, especially with the exchange rate. Ultimately this is something we cannot control.

“The pound has been very volatile in the last year and we’ve managed to maintain prices, but again, what happens depending on the Brexit deal is and how it impacts the market, nobody knows.”

The new Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play phones are set to launch in the UK in mid-February, and they’ll all target the £100-£300 segment of the market.

When asked how Motorola will deal with the currently unstable value of the British pound, Sergio Buniac, the president of the firm, added that Motorola is still committed to growing its UK and European presence, at least in the immediate future.

“We’re a global, stable company. In the short term you have to manage things, but that doesn’t change our decision whether that’s to invest more in the UK or something else,” he said.

“Our headquarters are in the UK and we don’t have plans to around that yet, the UK is an important market. Our view in Europe is long-term, it’s step-by-step. In that sense [Brexit] is important but not our primary consideration. We will do whatever the market does and at the moment we can’t predict that.”

Despite his assurances though, Buniac was also clear that the company would continue to prioritise profitability, and that uncertainty around Brexit makes it impossible to provide any more concrete details about Motorola products, pricing, or the company’s long-term plans post-Brexit.

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Numerous companies, including Nissan, Sony and Dyson, have announced plans to reduce investment within the UK in recent weeks. Nissan made it clear that this was due to concerns over a potential no-deal Brexit. Dyson, whose owner supported the Vote leave campaign, has denied that the company’s move had anything to do with Brexit.

Brexit is widely expected to lead to an increase in consumer tech prices in the UK. This is because, by leaving the European single market, the country will have re-negotiate numerous trade deals. Concerns about this have led to ongoing fluctuations in the value of the pound.

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