Mail Boxes Etc. recently held their annual franchisee conference near their headquarters in Oxford. The event was a massive success with around 100 franchisees & their staff in attendance. Named ‘Changes, challenges and profitable growth’, the conference allowed franchisees to come together to celebrate their achievements and learn more about how to continue improving their businesses.

Mail Boxes Etc. is one of the world’s largest non-food retail franchises with over 1,500 stores in five continents including over 150 in the UK and Ireland. They are the only high-street chain that offers consumers and local companies a truly comprehensive range of business services. MBE’s high street one-stop-shop concept offers a mix of logistics, postal, print and copy services to help meet people’s everyday needs.

The day included guest speakers from specialists in a variety of different sectors – all covered by Mail Boxes Etc.’s franchisees. Speakers included:

John Stoten – FedEx Global Clearance Solutions Specialist
Jeremy Lamond – MRICS FNAVA Halls Auctioneers, Director
Helen Wylde - Parcelforce Worldwide Sales & Marketing Director
Justin Urquhart Stewart – Founder of Seven Investment Management
Sally Anne Butters - Director at Coconut Creatives Ltd
Tim Bell - Field Account Manager Royal Mail
Michael Todd - Managing Director RCS

Justin Urquhart Stewart was the guest speaker this year and his talk was all about the ‘Global Economy and Business Opportunities’. He left franchisees with some valuable information to take away but also managed to leave them laughing at the same time.

The Franchisee of the Year award went to Andrew MacKinnon, MBE Glasgow City, and this year Andrew was awarded the accolade because not only has he managed to triple sales in four years, he is also highly customer service focused and offers a very rapid and efficient service. In the first quarter of this year alone, Andrew was in the top five store in the UK based on sales. Franchisees like Andrew give the brand a great reputation and this benefits their own businesses as well as the rest of the franchise network. The conference allows the franchisees to celebrate each other’s successes as well as giving them a great networking opportunity. 

“I find the conference useful every year on several fronts; the information that’s presented by both the presenters and the team at Mail Boxes Etc., we get an update on what’s going to be happening within the business for the next year and the networking opportunity is invaluable. We also get the chance to speak to suppliers in person when we only usually get to speak to them over the phone. I thought the presentations this year were very good, Parcelforce in particular was outstanding and Justin’s presentation was hilarious but also very insightful. I had to travel a long way to attend, “but it’s worth it” explains Pepe Bascetta, Area Franchisee, MBE Shawlands.

Inviting in guest speakers allows Mail Boxes Etc. to offer franchisees a more comprehensive view of the elements of their businesses that they can improve on and develop. Mail Boxes Etc. make sure their methods are innovative and up-to-date to keep in line with changes in the technology and business worlds. They know that a successful network means a successful brand.

“As always, the conference was a great success. The guest speakers were extremely engaging and left our franchisees with a lot of food for thought and actionable advice they can now use in their businesses. We had a good turnout  and it’s lovely to see our franchisees meeting up again and sharing their expertise and knowledge with each other. Part of being a franchisee is this imparting of wisdom with others and we’re always really proud to see franchisees engaging with each other,” adds Mike Hawkins, Sales and Marketing Director at Mail Boxes Etc.

As a successful global brand, Mail Boxes Etc. have learned what it takes to keep ahead in the retail sector and they’re sharing this knowledge with each and every one of their franchisees. With multiple revenue streams, franchisees benefit from minimal impact from market fluctuations. Franchisees benefit from a trusted high-street brand that has dominated in its marketplace for 35 years and our longest-serving franchisee in our UK network has just celebrated 21 years!