A delivery service at Newcastle's Grainger Market is set to pass £1m in sales after being set up to help traders during the coronavirus pandemic.
Grainger Delivery works with more than 20 businesses in the historic market, providing food and other deliveries to hundreds of customers in the North East for the last 10 months.
The service was set up by Emma-Claude Blair-Phillips, proprietor of The French Oven in the market, working with food blogger Craig Wilde and his creative agency Niltoni 360°.
They wanted to help traders sell products to customers who were either unable to travel or concerned about coming to the market in person, so set up a website to take orders and make deliveries.
It was later developed into the online store which offers more than 2,000 products from 20 market traders. Items such as fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and salads, vegan and whole-foods, kitchen supplies, wines, cheeses, plus cards and gifts, are available.
Ms Blair-Phillips said: “We are all very proud of all the hard work our family, our staff and our friends and colleagues in the market have achieved during these unprecedented times.
“There are so many people who have been positively affected by our efforts, from all parts of our region and we’ve been continually humbled by the gratitude in the feedback we have received. “
She added: “Grainger delivery isn’t a faceless giant automated warehouse, it’s a community driven enterprise at the heart of the city, run by local people, with local businesses, supporting Newcastle and the North East; continuing to contribute to make it the outstanding and canny place it is.”
The success of the delivery service comes as retail operations everywhere are facing huge challenges from a series of local and national lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.
Newcastle City Council, which owns the market, has confirmed that vacancy rates at the Grainger Market have past 15% and said that empty units will be difficult to fill during the economic crisis.
The delivery service has supplied customers as far afield as Hexham, Berwick and Durham. Ms Blair-Phillips’ brother Darren-Pierre is operations director of the service while their father John and a team of drivers oversee deliveries.
Health bodies, Newcastle City Council and the city’s two universities have used the service to help employees, students and other members of the community.
Mr Wilde said: “We have been honoured to be part of supporting the Grainger Delivery service, from our head of development Danny Owens, to our creative content lead Filipe Neves Ribeiro, and our many support teams and freelancers who have worked tirelessly to support all the market traders and wider community.
“Grainger Delivery is a great achievement and I’m sure in no small part has contributed to the Grainger Market’s survival well into the future.”
