A Bermuda engineer is preparing to launch an island version of an Amazon-style purchasing platform.

Whether you need a tube of toothpaste, a new rain jacket or a new dog crate, Tim Vieira’s company Cove.bm can collect it from a local store and deliver it the same day.

Mr Vieira spent most of his career at LF Wade International Airport, providing engineering services to flights in and out of the island.

Over the years he has seen thousands of packages from big box stores like Amazon.com flown in on a daily basis, with a fair number of them belonging to him.

He admits to being a bit of a shopaholic. “I was always online shopping,” he said. “So, at least once a week there were packages that I had ordered,” he said.

One day he was looking for a special edition of a book. It cost $3.49 on the online platform, but by the time he brought it in it was $29.

After he imported it, he stumbled on the exact same book at the Bermuda Bookstore on Queen Street in Hamilton for just under $10.

“The fact that they had it here, and I ended up paying three times as much in the end for it made me question why we didn’t shop more locally.”

He concluded that there were probably many other people like himself who didn’t know what was available on the island or where to find it.

With Cove.bm, Mr Vieira is trying to change that. The app is similar to websites like Amazon.com.

“Whatever you are in the market for, you will see what is actually available locally,” he said.

Shoppers can search for products across multiple Bermuda vendors, drop items into a virtual cart. If they order in the morning they can expect same‑day delivery, once the store has confirmed they have the item in stock.

There is no subscription fee required for shoppers, and stores do not pay an upfront cost to join.

Cove.bm makes money through a delivery fee that varies depending on how far the driver has to go.

There is also a small markup incorporated into the price of the item on cove.bm.

“Their main cost is the time it takes to upload products to the site,” Mr Vieira said.

He has been building Cove.bm for the last two years. One of the big challenges has been selling it to vendors.

The pitch is exposure without extra overhead.

“Often the vendor’s first comment is, ‘Well, I already have a website,’” Mr Vieira said. “We usually explain that this is just another layer of advertising that they are not having to pay for. You don’t have to manage the site. You don’t have to manage any of that back office.”

Mr Vieira believes the real value is not just convenience, but protecting Bermuda’s retail ecosystem.

“At the end of the day, I think it is more about helping our local economy,” he said. “If no one shopped locally, then what is the future for these businesses in Bermuda?”

The website will be fully loaded on Monday. Cove.bm is spending this week onboarding vendors and products.