Island business MannVend has decided to continue its home delivery service for the ’foreseeable future’.

It is one of many local independent business operators who started delivering to homes during the coronavirus pandemic to help customers shop safely and conveniently with a contactless drop off.

The service supported the elderly, vulnerable and people self isolating as well as those who simply wanted the convenience of doorstep delivery from a local company. There were also numerous orders placed by people living in the UK sending deliveries to friends and relatives on the island.

From tins of coffee and tea bags to soft drinks and snacks, they operate an island-wide delivery.

The business is based at Ailsa House, Spring Valley Industrial Estate, Douglas.

Tracey Leahy, managing director of the family-run business said: ’At the onset of lockdown we recognised the difficulty of traditional shopping and as we had a warehouse full of stock we knew we could help the community. Within 24 hours our retail website was up and running and orders started coming in overnight.

’I’m extremely proud of how quickly the team adapted to make this happen and we were overwhelmed with the messages of thanks that we received from our customers.’

’Therefore, because of customer demand, MannVend has decided to maintain the service for the foreseeable future.’

Offering contactless delivery, they will call customers first to check that they are in.

She said the Mannvend online retail shop www.shop.mannvend.com is convenient to place orders at a time that suits the customer without having to leave the house.