A new fanchise of Pack & Send, the Australian freight packing and shipping concept which arrived in the UK in 2009, has been launched in Colchester.

Simpiwe (Sim) Mboniswa and John Dang, who have been backed by a loan from NatWest, are operating from Barrack Road, offering businesses and individuals a comprehensive service to 220 countries.

Pack & Send offers a wide range of packing and shipping including postal services, couriers and removals, covering everying from a 20gm letter up to a 1tonne consignment.

The Colchester branch, the first in Essex, will specialise in dealing with higher value items.

Sim and John approached Sam Smith and Samantha Stone, relationship managers at NatWest, and together secured a fixed rate loan of £55,000 to enable them to open and refurbish the premises as well as to fund marketing and a new van.

Sim said: “We’ve been working on opening the Colchester shop since July and we’re delighted with the result. Feedback from customers in our first week has been extremely positive and we’re hopeful that we’ll soon be able to grow and take on new staff.

“NatWest was recommended by Pack and Send as other franchisees found the start-up package to be perfect for small businesses.”

Samantha Stone added: “We’d like to wish Sim and John the very best of luck with their new venture. We admired their passion for the brand and their commitment to the business which enjoys a strong franchise model.”