Delivering the goods

Having set up his own business in 1992, Derek Wilson has built a career on his vast knowledge of Edinburgh and its inhabitants.

For the last 14 years, the 43 year old has been delivering leaflets to every inch of the city through his company, Distribution Unlimited.

Working throughout the Edinburgh district, Derek and his team deliver leaflets for advertisers ranging from supermarkets to utility companies to thousands of Lothian homes.

And having built up lots of knowledge on the cutting-edge side of distribution, he is now looking to help others who are interested in following in his footsteps – by offering franchise opportunities the length and breadth of the country.

Derek said: “Our mapping and data system is so good that we can be faster than even the Royal Mail at delivering leaflets. Now we want to help set up other people in different areas by giving them expert knowledge and advice right from the start.

“Franchisees will get everything they’ll need to get started, including a laptop, navigation system for their car and even the upkeep of their vehicle for the first few months. We’ll also give them pounds 2000 worth of marketing to help them become a well-known name within the area.

“They would have to employ their own staff, but we’ll be with them every step of the way.”

Distribution Unlimited have divided up the country into 89 territories, covering an average of 300,000 homes and 22,000 businesses each.

Seven areas are still up for grabs in Scotland and Derek is keen to hear from people who will either be prepared for some hands-on work themselves or will employ a supervisor to make sure things run smoothly.

He said: “It’s the ideal opportunity for go-getters who will be able to build up their own area.

“We only launched the franchise scheme a few months ago and already we’ve had a great response.”