My Baggage
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Courier |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Paul Stewart |
| Headquarters | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Area served | Worldwide |
Number of employees | 22 |
| Website | mybaggage |
My Baggage, formerly known as Uni Baggage,[1] is a luggage delivery company founded in 2009 by Paul Stewart.[2] The service is used mainly by students, expats, holidaymakers, travel nomads, sports teams, armed forces, and people moving abroad. It arranges the collection and delivery of its customers' items through major couriers for a lower cost compared to customers booking transportation directly.[3]
History
The courier service was founded by entrepreneur Paul Stewart in 2009, after he had experienced difficulties moving his personal belongings from his home in Northern Ireland to where he was studying, at the University of Edinburgh. Stewart established the business in his second year of studying an engineering degree at the University, using his student loan as funding.[4]
The company is now based in Belfast. Since it was founded, My Baggage has expanded into worldwide shipping, and currently offers the services of DHL Express and Parcelforce.
In August 2013, the company had 30,000 customers, and transported more than 1,000 tonnes of student belongings, travelling 6,000,000 mi (9,700,000 km) across the United Kingdom and globally.[5] By 2014, the company had annual sales in excess of £1million.[6]
In September 2014, Uni Baggage announced the launch of its VIF service (Very Important Fresher). This new service was covered by a number of media outlets, including the BBC,[7] Financial Times,[8] CNBC,[9] The Guardian,[10] The Independent,[11] The Telegraph.[12] The VIF service allowed students to travel to university in luxury while their belongings were transported separately.
In November 2015, Uni Baggage launched several new routes from Ireland to Europe and the United States.[13] In April 2018, the company signed a $1 million deal with courier companies based in the United States, to transport customer items between five hundred new routes in and out of the country.[14]
Following research into its customers, the company changed its name to My Baggage from Uni Baggage in February 2019 to become inclusive of a wider customer type as it was formerly conceived to primarily serve college and university students.[1]
References
- ^ a b Editor, Gary McDonald Business (30 April 2019). "Belfast luggage shipping firm bags lucrative US contracts - and changes name". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Former student start-up bags new name amid international expansion". www.newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ Swettenham, Lee (16 May 2018). "Beat airlines' sky-high baggage fees - by POSTING your luggage". men. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Firm helps students cut cost of sending baggage to college - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Baggage firm helps students make light work of shift to university". Belfast Telegraph Business. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Northern Ireland is the best place to start and grow a business". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "VIP students 'arrive by helicopter'". BBC News. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "The way to travel to university". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ Kharpal, Arjun (1 September 2014). "Private jet: The new way to get to college". CNBC. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ Papworth, Jill (12 September 2014). "Setting off for uni? Here's how to make it on a £170 budget". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "First impressions count: How to be picture perfect for that first date". The Independent. 7 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Student Life: The Ferrari Freshers who refuse to slum it". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Uni Baggage Adds New Irish Shipping Routes | Uni Baggage". www.unibaggage.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ Editor, Gary McDonald Business (17 April 2018). "Online shipping company Uni Baggage signs $1 million deal". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)