79. HubBox

Founders: Sam Jarvis
Founded: July 2015
Website: www.hub-box.com

Nobody enjoys having to wait around for a package or parcel to be delivered – often with the requirement that you have to take time off work to be there when it arrives.

Trying to avoid this problem, Sam Jarvis had his packages delivered to work but soon encountered another when attempting to carry them home on the tube, during rush hour.

Jarvis was staggered that there were no existing solutions to this problem. At the same time, struggling with the sheer volume they were receiving, his workplace in the city stopped accepting personal deliveries.

Through some preliminary research, Jarvis found that fewer than 80 retailers offered collection points and yet more than a million parcels were being missed in the UK every single day. This was not only creating hassle for consumers but also a huge drain on resources for businesses.

Spurred on, Jarvis set about building HubBox: a nationwide network of local collection points that enables retailers of any size to offer click and collect regardless of what courier or e-commerce platform they use.

This software-based solution allows clients to fulfil deliveries using their current courier partners to more than 4,000 collection points without a costly integration process.

Whilst HubBox says that the UK has one of “the most crowded courier and logistics markets in the world” and it’s had difficulty explaining its value proposition to potential clients, more than 100 retailers have signed up to date. Among them are a number of top 500 retailers including Jack Wills, Warehouse, Joseph Joseph, and JOY.

The business also derives revenue from online shoppers who create an account to receive a unique HubBox ID and are charged £1.95 for each parcel delivery. More than 5,000 have registered for an account so far.

Now focusing on expanding its client base and investing in its direct to consumer product, Jarvis is striving to take on the big players in the “e-commerce space race”. We predict HubBox is set to blast off!