North Star Network launched
North Star Network aims to establish a database of’couriers’ from sales reps to students to deliver items all over the country at a rate of 56p per mile.
Founder David Gillooley said a typical example would mean someone travelling by train to London from Liverpool could earn pounds 107 from a journey that was being made anyway.
The 44-year-old from Aigburth who gave up a career as an architectural designer to set up his www.northstar-network.co.uk website in the city’s Rumford Court said his venture provides the opportunity for people to earn extra cash while doing almost nothing.
“We have a growing network of people from all walks of life. It’s free to join and we charge 50% less for same day deliveries – a massive saving.”
Would be ‘couriers’ register their details for free and can be asked to deliver items, mainly hand held goods, on behalf of North Star’s clients who need fast, guaranteed deliveries.
Goods can be handed over at a prearranged location, from a supermarket store lobby or coffee shop, even a service station.
And David said the venture has the added advantage of being environmentally friendly: “This is unique in the UK.”
He said his inspiration for setting up the website came from America where, for many years, students or travellers looking for cheap ways to move across the US solved the problem by driving vehicles to specific locations for owners who were moving there.
The business was formed towards the end of 2006 and Mr Gilloolley said it is growing in popularity: “We are getting loads of registrations. We’re up to 250 at the moment from as far north as Aberdeen to Plymouth on the south coast.
“Couriers can be anyone from sales reps to students, to couriers.”
He explained: “Clients will contact us to move stuff around the country. It is mainly hand-held items, but we dealt with a removals company moving someone from Southampton to Aberdeen recently who called into Glasgow and picked up a motorbike to take back to Southampton.
“Our database has all the Tesco supermarkets which we can use as a meeting place to hand over the items, but we also use places like Starbucks or service stations. Any public place really.”
