Eco-friendly shopping delivery service launches in Chapel Allerton on two wheels

Dabble was founded by Sam and Joe Clough, who were inspired by the bustling community of the High Street in Chapel Allerton, and they had been planning the venture since last year, but ended up launching it on Monday March 23, the first day of strict government restrictions on social distancing.

The company use bicycles to provide a delivery service for a range of shops around Chapel Allerton, enabling customers to continue supporting local businesses even if they can’t physically reach their premises.

The aim is to provide customers with a weekly shop from a range of local shops who can list their products on Dabble’s website, and the firm will organise the delivery.

Managing director Sam Leather said: “We've been planning the business since last year, but we pushed the launch forward because of the current demand for home delivery. During these uncertain times, we feel we can provide a vital service to the community and support local businesses at a time when they really need it. We have a captive audience and hopefully they will continue to use our services in the future when the world eventually returns to normal.”

They also say that the service appeals to customers because it is eco-friendly and allows businesses more time to concentrate on developing their ventures while Dabble takes care of the deliveries.

Sam said: “We can take away that hassle and business owners can spend more time on developing their products. It’s great that we can help companies reach customers they wouldn’t usually be able to reach. People in the area are looking to make a positive step. We had a customer who said he is happy to pay more for delivery as he sees the benefit to the environment as well as the convenience.”

It is hoped that after lockdown and when shopping trends return to normal, then the service can be rolled out to more shops and other parts of north Leeds.

Business background

The Dabble founders benefitted from the support of Leeds Beckett University and AD:VENTURE, a business support programme for new businesses in North and West Yorkshire funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

They had masterclasses in sales and marketing and met likeminded entrepreneurs.

Kirstie Frenneaux, Project Manager at Leeds Beckett University, said: “It’s great to see a small business like Dabble providing a vital service to their community in these challenging times. It’s more important than ever that services like this are available and I fully expect that Dabble will continue to expand and thrive when the pandemic is over. This is a great example of the effect that the support we provide in partnership with AD:VENTURE can have on exciting new businesses in Leeds.”

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