TROLLEY BAGS:A COUNTY CARLOW-BASED entrepreneur has designed a shopping bag system that can speed up the packing of groceries at the supermarket checkout.

Two years ago, while doing the weekly shop with his wife, Paul Doyle observed that people packing their goods mostly used one hand, using the other to hold open the bag. He thought if people could pack two-handed into an open bag the process could be significantly speeded up, reducing time spent at the checkout.

At the time, Doyle had a carpentry business and workshop and he designed a rough prototype of his solution.

Trolley Bags are four bags of different sizes, each with two plastic handles long enough to balance on the edge of all types of shopping trolley. This allows the shopper to easily load the bags. The bags are also useful for those using a self-scanning gun while shopping.

Doyle got an Irish tailor to make a more detailed prototype before approaching China Green – which acts as a liaison for Irish companies seeking to do business there – to help identify a manufacturer. Once a manufacturer was secured, he started to approach the large Irish multiples. Doyle says there is “no matching product” available and has filed a patent on the product.

He says he was impressed by the speed of decision-making by Aldi as opposed to some of the other large Irish retailers, who, he said, moved more slowly. He also thought the product was suited to Aldi’s system, which allows little time to pack bags at the checkout.

Trolley Bags were introduced in Aldi’s 80-plus Irish stories on July 8th, and all 3,000 units sold out.

Doyle admits he probably underestimated the level of demand and is now in talks with Aldi UK about also releasing the product there. He also says he is planning to start talks with independent retailers about stocking the product.

Doyle’s background includes a degree in science from UCD, some time working in banking, before setting up his own company providing building and carpentry services for schools.

He says there is a “certain amount of lonely madness” in entrepreneurship. “You see something no one else can really see and you spend all your time trying to convince others that your vision is both real and achievable,” he says.

Doyle has received funding and other assistance from Carlow County Enterprise Board and the South-East Business Innovation Centre.