Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) is an 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.[1]
History
Mail Boxes Etc. was founded in the United States in 1980 by Gerald Aul, Pat Senn, and Robert Diais. By 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.[2]
A branch of MBE in Reading, Berkshire.
As of 31 December 2016, MBE Worldwide had nearly 1,600 locations in 30 countries, with total sales of €427 million in 2016.[3]
Acquisition by UPS
In 2001, United Parcel Service (UPS) acquired Mail Boxes Etc., Inc.[4] locations in 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.[5]
MBE Worldwide Group
In 2009, MBE Worldwide 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.[6]
Acquisitions
In 2017, MBE Worldwide acquired two U.S. companies, PostNet International Franchise and AlphaGraphics Inc.[7][8] With these acquisitions, 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,[9] as well as MultiCopy, a leading brand in the Netherlands that provides Print and Marketing Solutions including signs, printing, and websites.[10] In addition, Prestashop joined the MBE Worldwide group in November 2021, furthering MBE Worldwide's transition into a fully integrated digital and physical commerce platform for business growth.[11] In 2022, MBE Worldwide purchased a majority stake in the United Kingdom company World Options Ltd.[12] and an Italian tech platform dedicated to proximity logistics, GEL Proximity.[13]
References
^"MBE Worldwide". 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020 – via LinkedIn.
