Mail Boxes Etc. ( MBE ) is an American-Italian third-party provider of shipping, fulfilment, printing, and marketing services through a network of franchised locations. MBE is an Italian family-owned holding company headquartered in Milan, Italy. It ranks among the world's largest networks of service centres, offering shipping, logistics, printing, marketing, and design services to both businesses and private customers.
8-574: The UPS Store (formerly the United States arm of Mail Boxes Etc. ) is a franchised subsidiary of United Parcel Service which provides, according to its website, shipping , shredding , printing , fax , passport photos , personal and business mailboxes , and notary services . In March 2001, UPS acquired Mail Boxes Etc ., which was founded in 1980 as an alternative to the post office . In February 2003, UPS rebranded more than 3,000 Mail Boxes Etc. locations as The UPS Store. Each location
16-594: Is independently owned. The UPS Store offers shipping , packaging, printing , shredding , notary services and postal services for individual consumers and small businesses. Franchise locations are typically found on or near military bases, hotels, colleges, shopping centers and convention centers. As of 2021, there were 5,268 UPS Store locations across the United States and Canada. Each UPS Store also serves as an access point for UPS shipping where customers can drop off packages with prepaid labels, as well as pack and ship new shipments. The UPS Store's other major industry
24-663: Is printing. The store offers brochures, door hangers, car magnets, flyers, yard signs, menus for restaurants, manuals, and 3D printing . In 2019 and 2020, The UPS Store was ranked fifth overall among the top franchise brands in Entrepreneur Magazine ’s Franchise 500 list. The company ranked third on the Franchise 500 list in 2021. Mail Boxes Etc. Mail Boxes Etc. was founded in the United States in 1980 by Gerald Aul, Pat Senn, and Robert Diais. By
32-612: The MBE Worldwide group in November 2021, furthering MBE Worldwide's transition into a fully integrated digital and physical commerce platform for business growth. In 2022, MBE Worldwide purchased a majority stake in the United Kingdom company World Options Ltd. and an Italian tech platform dedicated to proximity logistics, GEL Proximity. In November 2024, the parent company of Mail Boxes Etc., MBE Worldwide , announced
40-742: The MBE network expanded to approximately 2,500 service centres, including 500 in the US and 2,000 in 43 countries worldwide. In 2021, MBE Worldwide also acquired Pack & Send, a leading brand in Australia , New Zealand , and the United Kingdom in the Shipping and Logistics service industry, as well as MultiCopy, a leading brand in the Netherlands that provides Print and Marketing Solutions including signs, printing, and websites. In addition, Prestashop joined
48-518: The United States and Canada . On April 7, 2003, UPS began converting the 3,000 Mail Boxes Etc. locations in the United States and Canada (at the time, nearly 90% of the domestic U.S. network) to The UPS Store and started offering lower UPS direct shipping rates, with an average reduction of around 20%. These centres remain locally owned and operated, continuing to offer a wide range of services, including packing, shipping, freight, postal services, printing, and business services. In 2009, MBE Worldwide
56-472: The year 2000, MBE had expanded to include 4,000 locations worldwide, including South Korea and Sweden . MBE operates a network of retail centres providing packing and shipping services, logistics support, communications, and marketing services to both business and private customers. The majority of the centres are owned by franchisees, both individual and master franchisees . In 2001, United Parcel Service (UPS) acquired Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. locations in
64-691: Was established to acquire the existing Mail Boxes Etc. network from UPS worldwide, excluding the United States and Canada. MBE Worldwide subsequently expanded across Western Europe, establishing a direct presence in France in 2012, Poland in 2014, and the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in 2021. As of 31 December 2016, MBE Worldwide had nearly 1,600 locations in 30 countries, with total sales of €427 million in 2016. In 2017, MBE Worldwide acquired two U.S. companies, PostNet International Franchise and AlphaGraphics Inc. With these acquisitions,
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