New local online platform takes on big retail delivery service to support local businesses
While online shopping has become a multi-trillion-dollar worldwide industry, a new online marketplace launched in Simcoe County in recent weeks is making it easier and more affordable to keep e-commerce local.
That marketplace is JustSimcoe.ca, which connects consumers with county-based products and provides same-day delivery service in a similar fashion to large worldwide couriers.
“Here in Simcoe County, we spend an estimated $500 million a year on Amazon.ca alone, while we’ve got thousands of amazing local businesses here in our own backyard,” said Andrew de Jong, founder of Just Simcoe.
In addition to de Jong’s website operators, the Just Simcoe team is made up of nine drivers who pick up orders from local stores and deliver them to consumers at a rate of up to $7.50 per order.
- Download the CTV News app free to get local news alerts
- Don't miss breaking news - Sign up for the CTV Newsletter
The service operates Monday to Friday. Orders that are placed before 3 p.m. get delivered the same day, while orders placed after 3 p.m. get delivered the next day.
“It’s a way we can stand up as a community and say, ‘we’re not just going to hand a big part of our economy over to monopolistic companies like Amazon,’” added de Jong. “We’re going to fight for our own. We’re going to build our own solution and keep that revenue local.”
Local expert Jesse Kerr says 98 per cent of the Canadian economy is driven by small businesses.
“Then the micro businesses are even less than 10 or less than five [employees and] employ almost about 60 to 70 per cent of the population as well,” said Kerr. “When we give them support, we grow our own communities.”
Just Simcoe has partnered with nearly 100 local businesses so far, such as Kim Andrews’ scented candle business and Shannon Cunningham’s non-alcoholic beverage business.
“They take a lot of care and pride when delivering the products,” said Andrews, owner of THE GOOD WAX candle co in Barrie. “The customer service is amazing and it’s affordable.”
“They have made things a lot faster for us, a lot more convenience for us,” said Cunningham, co-owner of Sober Sips in Barrie. “Our customers have actually come back and reported just how friendly Andrew and his team have been.”
De Jong says he is focused on continuing to grow Just Simcoe across Simcoe County and taking a customer-focused approach, making people more aware of local alternatives to online shopping.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
5 rescued after avalanche triggered north of Whistler, B.C. RCMP say
Emergency crews and heli-skiing staff helped rescue five people who were caught up in a backcountry avalanche north of Whistler, B.C., on Monday morning.
Quebec fugitive killed in Mexican resort town, RCMP say
RCMP are confirming that a fugitive, Mathieu Belanger, wanted by Quebec provincial police has died in Mexico, in what local media are calling a murder.
Bill Clinton hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says
Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington after developing a fever.
Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal
First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office.
UN investigative team says Syria's new authorities 'very receptive' to probe of Assad war crimes
The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy.
Pioneering Métis human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne dies at 87
Muriel Stanley Venne, a trail-blazing Métis woman known for her Indigenous rights advocacy, has died at 87.
King Charles ends royal warrants for Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever and Cadbury chocolatiers
King Charles III has ended royal warrants for Cadbury and Unilever, which owns brands including Marmite and Ben & Jerry’s, in a blow to the household names.
Man faces murder charges in death of woman who was lit on fire in New York City subway
A man is facing murder charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday.
Canada regulator sues Rogers for alleged misleading claims about data offering
Canada's antitrust regulator said on Monday it was suing Rogers Communications Inc, for allegedly misleading consumers about offering unlimited data under some phone plans.