African and Caribbean online platform sees investment for growth

Published by

Nicky Godding

An online e-commerce company selling African and Caribbean products which launched just last year is seeking angel investment funding of £500,000 of growth funding through the Angel Investment Network.

Niyis Ltd is based in Reading and is aiming to be the most reputable place to source for all African and Caribbean products in the United Kingdom.

Niyis started as an idea by husband-and-wife Bisola & Irina Adeniyi. They were looking for a website to shop from, that was decent and had good African products during the pandemic.

But all the websites they shopped with had either one issue or the other. Most of the time they would have to shop across different places which made for a cumbersome grocery shopping experience.

The most common problem was the value of the service and presentation of the products when it arrives on their doorstep.

"It was always disappointing and we were never nicely treated by the different online shops when we had issues," they said.

They felt certain that other customers felt the same.

"This was a major factor for the launch of Niyis, to be able to provide an optimum service that would be the African market standard. Our goal was that any customer would feel comfortable shopping with us and would never have to be worried about hygiene as well.

"To make it even better, Products like frozen food items are refundable in the event of courier mishandling."

Since the company launched last year, it says that according to the data it has collected and reputable online review platforms combined, over 97 per cent are happy with its service and keep coming back.

The company adds: "By virtue of what we sell and how we operate, we aim to continuously spread knowledge and awareness of African Culture, traditions, food and way of life. We believe in rebranding Africa, and we believe awareness about it should be made known by any opportunity we have.

"Though Niyis started as an Idea, it goes far beyond that. It is a vision. A vision to create a sustainable and reputable online African platform where everyone can come, trust and shop for their products with peace of mind."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.