Business saddles up for delivery trial

Shoppers in Shrewsbury will be spotting something new among the historic black-and-white buildings - a Tanners-branded eCargo bike.

The award-winning wine merchant, trading in Shrewsbury for more than 180 years, has become the first business to take part in the Shrewsbury Moves eCargo Delivery Trial.

The bike - a Riese & Müller eCargo Bike supplied by Dave Mellor Cycles - was handed over by Dave Mellor and Shrewsbury BID, with the Mayor of Shrewsbury Councillor Alex Wagner also attending to see the first handover in the scheme.

Funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the eCargo Delivery Trial project has seen the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership purchase six eCargo bikes to be hired out to local businesses at a heavily subsidised monthly rate. The bikes are provided by Dave Mellor Cycles and Trek Shrewsbury.

The aim is to make it easier for businesses to carry out small deliveries, move items between sites, or make local drop-offs without the need to use larger vehicles, helping to reduce time spent in traffic and avoid parking difficulties.

The long-term goal of this trial is to assess whether eCargo bikes provide a practical solution to reduce the volume of heavy vehicles accessing the town centre on a daily basis.

Logistics expert Paul Carvell, who is also co-owner of Carvell on the Square and board member of the Big Town Plan Partnership, said: "This is an important first step to pilot a selection of local businesses using e-cargo bikes instead of vans, where possible, as a prelude to a larger scale initiative.

"We will be studying their cost productivity, ease of use and carbon reduction achieved. Ultimately, we envisage a town where e-cargo bikes are the norm for retail and business deliveries.”

The eCargo Bike, now in use by Tanners, has space to carry multiple cases of wine and related stock. It features Tanners and Shrewsbury Moves branding making it a striking sight in the town centre.

Tanners chairman and managing director James Tanner said, “As a business that’s been part of Shrewsbury for more than 180 years, we’re always conscious of balancing our traditions with the need to move with the times.

"The eCargo bike is a practical and sustainable way for us to make local deliveries, while also supporting the town’s efforts to cut congestion and emissions. We’re delighted to be the first business to take part in this exciting initiative and look forward to seeing more of these bikes in use across Shrewsbury."

Over the next few weeks, the remaining five bikes will be delivered to a mix of businesses including a grocers, florist, a takeaway restaurant and creative studios.

Dave Mellor said, “E-bikes and e-cargo bikes are all about enabling new ways of getting around. For businesses. They can make last-mile deliveries easier and open the door to different ways of working. I’m really pleased to be able to support this project, which has the potential to be genuinely transformative.”

The Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership is made up of Shrewsbury BID, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shropshire Council.