Member Article

Sunderland entrepreneurs tackle local advertising market with a shout

Recent photography graduate Chris Challoner is hoping to net a sizeable portion of the local advertising market with his new Sunderland-based venture.

Chris has enlisted the help of fellow Sunderland University graduates Iraa Kadchha, 26, and Adam Wimpenny, 26, of Sunderland Software Centre-based RGB Media to propel the idea which combines print and online advertising at a hyperlocal level.

LOCAL SHOUT publishes a glossy advertising brochure which is distributed to businesses, community centres and homes around the Peterlee area, and aims to offer voice to localised micro businesses otherwise underserved by larger advertising platforms.

Using a low price point and local distribution, Chris has encouraged tradesman, takeaways and other small traders to populate the pages of LOCAL SHOUT.

The team hope to net a sizeable proportion of the market by offering print and digital profiling; marketing and branding all in one package.

35-year-old Chris said: “I moved to the North East from the South and was really saddened to see a lot of local businesses in the Peterlee and Horden area with the shutters down. I wanted to do something to help that.

“I came up with the idea and so far we’ve done well with the Peterlee edition. Sunderland is next in our sights.”

The team at RGB Media, Iraa Kadchha and Adam Wimpenny, have become Chris’ business partners, contributing communications and web development expertise.

The business is based at Sunderland University’s ‘Enterprise Place’ - an incubator office space for startups pioneered by University graduates - also home to entrepreneur Ifty Alam who recently featured on Bdaily with his online fashion business.

Chris added: “LOCAL SHOUT is getting used by a wide range of business. There’s a community centre in Horden who are looking for volunteers, for example.

“We offered a free ad initially and now they are looking to sign up for a year. I want it to be about helping the community as well as selling to them.”

The idea has now attracted the attention of investors in Newcastle and Chris hopes to reach other potential backers, with a possible franchise model on the horizon.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .