UPS Store Goes Global

In India, the company has named Jetair Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. as the exclusive master licensee to develop the UPS Store business within India.

The agreement with Jetair marks the introduction of the UPS Store brand outside North America as well as the first time a new market has been developed exclusively as the UPS Store. The new UPS locations will be India's first full-service network of retail outlets that combines packaging, shipping and other business products with Jetair airways ticketing services, UPS Store says.

UPS Store is targeting small- and medium-sized businesses primarily, including mobile workers, small-office, home-office workers and general consumers. Stuart Mathis, president of Mail Boxes Etc. Inc., says the expansion owes its genesis in large part to the growth of India's economy, which "has provided enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs interested in franchising," Mathis says.

In the case of Canada, Mathis says, Mail Boxes Etc. and UPS have both established strong presences, creating what he called "an opportune time to re-brand the Canadian network and offer continued growth opportunities for our franchisees there."

Mail Boxes Etc. and its master licensees will continue with their international network of business centers, and there are no plans at present to re-brand any of the more than 900 Mail Boxes Etc. locations outside Canada and the United States. Mail Boxes Etc. Inc. (MBE), which is a UPS company, franchises the UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. retail locations.

The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations together comprise retail shipping, postal and business service centers with more than 5,500 locations in more than 40 countries. In the United States, the two brands are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc. Inc. Outside the United States, locations are owned and operated by MBE master licensees or their franchisees.