ONSIDE / DEAL PROFILE
SIGNED
SEALED
DELIVERED
Seneca’s investment in My Parcel Delivery, an e-commerce business serving the logistics
market, is an example of innovation and opportunity. Founder David Grimes tells
Michael Taylor how frustration with bad service is his constant motivation.
B
ack when David Grimes was running his first business
after university – a promotional merchandise venture
– it was totally reliant on sending parcels to customers.
As he discovered, that was easier said than done.
“As a small, start-up operation we didn’t have the necessary
volume of parcels to get an account with a courier company.
This meant daily trips to the Post Office to send our parcels
via Royal Mail. Anyone using the Post Office will probably
relate to its many frustrations: either a long commute to the
Post Office if you’re in a rural area or finding a place to park
nearby if you’re in a town or city centre. And then, there’s
the queuing – seemingly endless queuing.
“I’ve got nothing against the many other poor souls queuing
in the Post Office for their pension, driving licences and
countless other transactions. But, for a business, time spent
queuing is money down the drain. And that could mean up
to an hour away from the business every day, just to send
a parcel.
16