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 established in 2009.[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
[edit]The courier service was founded by entrepreneur Paul Stewart after he had experienced difficulties moving his personal belongings from his home in Northern Ireland to the University of Edinburgh, where he was studying.[4] Stewart established the business in his second year of studying an engineering degree at the university by using his student loan as funding.[5]
The company is based in Belfast.[6] Since it was founded, My Baggage has expanded into worldwide shipping and since May 2015, it currently offers the services of DHL Express, and Parcelforce.[7][8]
By 2013, the company had around 30,000 customers and had transported more than 1,000 tonnes of student belongings 6,000,000 mi (9,700,000 km) across the United Kingdom and globally.[9] By 2014, the company had annual sales in excess of £1 million.[10]
Uni Baggage announced the launch of its VIF Service (Very Important Fresher) in September 2014.[11] This new service was covered by a number of media outlets including the BBC,[12] Financial Times,[13] CNBC,[14] The Guardian,[15] The Independent,[16] The Telegraph.[17] The VIF Service allowed students to travel to university in luxury while their belongings were transported separately.
Uni Baggage launched several new routes from Ireland to Europe and the US in 2015.[18] In April 2018, the company signed a new $1 million deal with US-based courier companies to transport customer items between 500 new routes in and outside the country.[19]
In 2019, the company changed its name to My Baggage to appeal to a broader range of customers.
References
[edit]- ^ McDonald, Gary (30 April 2019). "Belfast luggage shipping firm bags lucrative US contracts - and changes name". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "Former student start-up bags new name amid international expansion". www.newsletter.co.uk. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ Swettenham, Lee (16 May 2018). "Beat airlines' sky-high baggage fees - by POSTING your luggage". men. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ "WinWeb Pitch of the Week – Uni Baggage". businessblog.winweb.com. 17 July 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Firm helps students cut cost of sending baggage to college - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Uni Baggage Ltd". communityni.org. September 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "HOW TO CONTACT PARCELFORCE". mybaggage.com. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "HOW TO CONTACT DHL". mybaggage.com. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Baggage firm helps students make light work of shift to university". Belfast Telegraph Business. Belfast Telegraph. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Northern Ireland is the best place to start and grow a business". telegraph.co.uk. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Very Important Fresher: Uni Baggage launches UK's first luxury transport service just for students". digitalnewsroom.media. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ "VIP students 'arrive by helicopter'". BBC News. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "The way to travel to university". Financial Timesa. 2 September 2014. 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. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Student Life: The Ferrari Freshers who refuse to slum it". Telegraph.co.uk. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Uni Baggage Adds New Irish Shipping Routes | Uni Baggage". www.unibaggage.com. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ McDonald, Gary (17 April 2018). "Online shipping company Uni Baggage signs $1 million deal". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 January 2020.