Executive Summary

Import duties are an invisible but significant drain on margin. High SKU turnover, shifting materials, inconsistent vendor documentation, and rising audit scrutiny make it easy for well-run fashion businesses to overpay without noticing. The complexity is accelerating, and the cost of inaccuracy compounds season after season.

This session brought together Mark O’Neill of Trade Harmonizer and Tom Eastick of retailer, TM Lewin, to unpack where cash leakage occurs and how AI-supported auditing can surface issues in weeks, not months. Trade Harmonizer’s results based model blends automated data extraction with human oversight to identify incorrect HS codes, missing documentation and unclaimed duty on returns. That combination of technology and expertise gives brands a clearer view of risk and a faster route to recovery.

Using real examples – including a £420k one-year overpayment, a multi-season £1.5m leakage, and £10-15k avoided duty through smarter sourcing decisions - the discussion shows how artificial intelligence and specialist review can protect margin today while preventing future losses. Leaders will learn how to run a 20–30 SKU duty health check, where to begin, and how simple changes can build long-term compliance confidence.

What You'll Hear:

• How AI supports duty accuracy and human judgment

• Why duty leakage is rising across fashion

• Common blind spots: outdated HS codes, returns, vendor data gaps

• The TM Lewin x Trade Harmonizer story: AI in practice

• How to run a 20–30 SKU duty health check

• What reclaim vs prevention means for margin

• Live examples: £420k–£1.5m multi-season losses recovered, £50k returns exposure, £10–15k avoided costs

• How specialist oversight and AI work together

• Practical steps for brand, finance and operations teams