UPS Franchisees protest during Annual Meeting
As some 50 UPS franchisees from around the country picketed in a light rain outside Wilmington’s Hotel DuPont Thursday (May 10) during UPS’ annual meeting, several shareholder-franchisees directed questions about their concerns to CEO Mike Eskew.
During the question and answer period, Joe Wightman, who owns a Mail Boxes Etc. franchise in New York, asked Eskew why it is that UPS’ 4,000-plus-store retail franchise network of UPS Stores and Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) is invisible in the UPS annual report and in the presentation Eskew made at the shareholders meeting May 10 in Wilmington. Wightman suggested that it is due to the “abysmal” failure of UPS’ effort and the unhappiness of its franchisees.
Eskew’s response, which Wightman said appeared rehearsed, was that he (Eskew) checked the source for Wightman’s report last year claiming that 60% of the UPS network is unprofitable, and Eskew replied that the information is not accurate. He did not say what his “source” was. Platinum Shield Association (PSA) Board member and UPS shareholder Glenn Sturgis then pointed out to Eskew that the 60% figure came from a written report by UPS’ Franchise Advisory Council, which includes UPS and MBE management as well as its UPS Store franchisees.
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