A new service which delivers food in less than an hour has launched in Carlisle.

Shropshire-based company Zoom! 1hr Delivery has expanded rapidly across the UK over the last year.

Co-op have chosen the delivery business as their logistics partner in the Carlisle area for their roll out of food delivery across rural regions. Customers using the service will receive their grocery shop within two hours of placing their order.

And thanks to this contract, the company has been able to roll out their own on-demand delivery service to food outlets in the city, including restaurants, fast food chains and independent eateries.

Customers can order takeaways via their app for delivery within an 8-mile radius in less than an hour.

The service has created five new jobs for drivers, and the company expect this number to grow as more people from the area start using the service.

To celebrate the service’s launch in the area, Zoom 1hr Delivery are running a number of promotions for customers to enter through their social media pages in the coming weeks. Their dedicated Facebook page for the area is ‘Zoom 1hr Delivery – Carlisle.’

Dave Hamlet, co-founder and CEO of Zoom 1hr Delivery, said, “Launching in Carlisle is a key milestone for us on our mission to becoming the UK’s hyper local, last mile delivery service.

“Carlisle has a brilliant selection of food businesses and restaurants. We feel it’s important to support them during this challenging time as well as being able to service communities in more rural locations that wouldn’t have had access to this type of delivery service before now.

“It is also fantastic to deliver on behalf of Co-op in the Carlisle area, and we are proud to have an average delivery time for Co-op customers of just 20 minutes from ordering, which is an exceptional service.

“We hope Carlisle’s residents enjoy our fast delivery of groceries, fine cuisine, fast food, and drinks, whilst keeping safe at home. All they need to do is download our app or head to www.zoom-food.co.uk to order!”

To order from the Co-op, visit shop.coop.co.uk

Luke Jarmyn, Business Engagement Manager of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said:

“It’s good news for job hunters, unemployment in Cumbria has almost doubled in the last year. Across the county’s workforce, the unemployment rate is 4.5 per cent. With the impact of both the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, young people as well as the less skilled have been hit the hardest.

“These are challenging times, and with the Covid-19 global pandemic we’ve seen more people turning to order deliveries online for both health and safety as well as convenience. Naturally as the market grows we’re likely to see new providers hopefully creating more jobs in Carlisle and across Cumbria within the sector.

“We’re aware that the Zoom 1hr Delivery company now operates in more than 50 towns and cities across England and Wales since being launched and Carlisle seems the perfect place with a mix of urban and more rural communities.”

Representing the Chamber, Luke added: “We welcome the news and support any new initiative which can create more sustainable jobs in the area. The Chamber works with businesses, and as a gateway to a number of Government schemes, to help facilitate permanent job creation in Cumbria.”