Derry delivery service continues to grow from strength to strength

Derry-based delivery service, Anita Delivery and its founder and chief executive, Joseph McVeigh, continue to provide a vital service to the city.

Joe set up his business just weeks before the Covid lockdown in 2020.

Joe admits that the pandemic provided him the opportunity to provide a much-needed service but insists that Anita's success would have still taken off given that people were reliant on his service.

Joe said: “It's not nice to say but the pandemic definitely helped business. Anita was going to work, no matter what. This is a massive thing for shops and places like England and America – it just hadn't been done here.

"The established supermarket chains have their own delivery services but for those who get their groceries and bits and pieces from a number of local shops, Anita Delivery provided a valuable service. 

"We know all our customers so well, we keep in touch if we're busy but we get their delivery to them within the hour.

“I set the business up four weeks before the pandemic and then when that happened, we had to keep it going and I was doing deliveries myself from seven in the morning to 11.30pm – seven days a week for about three months."

The idea came to Joe when he realised there was a large amount of people that struggled with mental health and disability and others that couldn't leave the house for many different reasons.

Joe continued: "People can always get a food takeaway delivered but they couldn't get something from their local shop. If they did, it could take a couple of days.

"I had the idea for years but we started at the beginning of 2020 and then the pandemic hit, we were juggling so much at the one time but we got there. It was crazy at the time but now we have 27 drivers.

“The busier Anita is, the more money there is going back into the local economy. There's local businesses getting more orders and more people getting good money with delivery jobs."

There is also a donation service via the Anita delivery app which donates to local charities every year.

Joe added: "The charity the first year was Foyle Foodbank and the second year was Foyle Search and Rescue.

"This year we are donating to Me4mental, a local mental health charity in Derry. Customers are so good at donating and at the end of the year, I match whatever the customer's have given."

You can order from Anita Delivery via their app, available on all smartphones.