Students secure backing for Paccup venture

A TRIO of students who have launched a business aimed at making settling in to university life easier for undergraduates have received backing for their venture by the entrepreneur behind the successful Yorkshire Linen Co.

Paccup is the brainchild of university students Craig De Vere and brothers Sam and Tom Chambers, and provides everything students need when moving into their halls of residence.

The business, which is being mentored by Ross Leventhal, has already won the support and backing of universities in the Yorkshire area.

The trio, who went to King James’s High School in Knaresborough, came up with the idea while mulling over ideas for a business venture aimed at the student market.

There are three Paccups for students to choose from – bedroom, bathroom and kitchen – and contain items relevant for each room, including duvet, pillows, pans, cutlery, towels, and other essentials needed to make the transition from home to university as smooth as possible.

Once an order for a Paccup has been received and paid for, it is then dispatched to the relevant university to await the customer’s arrival.

Mr De Vere said: “Like millions of students before us, once Sam, Tom and I arrived at our halls of residence we then made the obligatory trip to the shops to buy the essentials.

“Moving to university for the first time is stressful. Instead of trudging around the streets we would have sooner been socialising with our peers and exploring our new surroundings.

“Paccup takes part of this stress away by eliminating the ‘boring’ part. It provides students with a convenient solution to get all the essentials needed for their new kitchen, bathroom and bedroom and also bring them a touch of home comforts.”

He added: “When we were sourcing products for each Paccup, we contacted The Yorkshire Linen Co. Ross then suggested a meeting as he was intrigued about the concept.

“The result is Ross is now mentoring the three of us – he has superb contacts and can source the contents at very preferential rates – and The Yorkshire Linen Co is a shareholder in Paccup.”

Mr Leventhal said: “When we received the initial enquiry from Craig I was curious to find out more about the Paccup concept and the three people behind it.

“Craig, Tom and Sam put together a very good business plan, and this, together with their enthusiasm, led me to make them an offer in terms of mentoring and buying into the business.

“I’m extremely confident that Paccup will be a great success as it appeals to a massive audience.”