Global franchise chain Mail Boxes Etc. Australia (MBE) plans to open another ten stores in Australia this year and more in 2018, with a focus on WA, SA and NSW.
The company recently secured about two million dollars in investment funding thanks to one of the parent company’s US-based directors, and some of the money will be used to support new franchisees in setting up fully functional MBE businesses.
“We currently have 35 stores around Australia and we have a rather aggressive plan of growth,” says MBE CEO Clayton Treloar. “Victoria and Queensland are our biggest areas so we’ll focus less on them and more on Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. We’ve identified some sites and we’re planning to open ten new business centres this year with more on the horizon for 2018. Last year we opened four new stores, which was a good feat in a tough year.
“We opened a new store last month at Blacktown [in Sydney’s west] and we’ve just identified a new site at Ultimo [in Sydney’s inner suburbs]. We’ve moving ahead to action that fairly quickly.”
MBE recently won a large training grant from the federal government and Treloar says it will enable the company to attract potential franchisees who don’t necessarily come from a printing background.
Printing services make up 80 percent of MBE’s business; shipping, packaging and mail boxes account for 20 percent.
At MBE’s recent national conference in Canberra, A World of Opportunities, Treloar presented the Australian Franchise of the Year award to Bob Payne from MBE Currumbin.
Major sponsor Canon showcased the benefits of state-of-the-art equipment to increase wide format revenue, an area MBE has earmarked for continued growth.
MBE is a global retail network of business service centres for design, printing, shipping and mailboxes, and comprises 1600 franchises worldwide.