UPS sells MBE brand outside US, Canada and India
UPS said on 12 May it has sold much of its international Mail Boxes Etc. brand to Italian holding company Fineffe Group for an undisclosed sum so it can focus on its MBE and UPS Store brands in the US, Canada and India, say The Associated Press.
UPS said on 12 May it has sold much of its international Mail Boxes Etc. brand to Italian holding company Fineffe Group for an undisclosed sum so it can focus on its MBE and UPS Store brands in the US, Canada and India, say The Associated Press.
UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said finances were not the main reason for the sale, though she acknowledged it was a good deal for UPS, which will continue as the preferred carrier for express services offered at the international retail stores.
“There’s always going to be a financial benefit,” Rosenberg said. “That’s prudent stewardship for the organisation. It is the evolving nature of international franchising.”
She indicated the money could be used for other growth opportunities or ongoing operations.
There are 4,800 independently owned and operated UPS Store and MBE locations in the US, Canada and India. The vast majority are called The UPS Store. UPS will remain the owner of the brand in those three countries, Rosenberg said.
There are 1,227 MBE stores in 30 other countries, and Fineffe Group, already a major franchisee of overseas MBE stores, now owns the brand in those countries.
