The deal, which was completed on 31 March, saw MBE Worldwide purchase the business from the former master licensee, Mail Boxes Etc (UK) Ltd, which Simon Cowie was the chairman of.
MBE Worldwide is a third-party provider of shipping, fulfilment, print and marketing services that operates under different complementary brands: Mail Boxes Etc (except in the US and Canada), AlphaGraphics, PostNet, Spedingo.com, Print Speak, Pack & Send, and Multicopy.
Focusing on the first and last mile of shipping services, mainly in the express courier business segment, it also serves clients as a local provider of customised marketing and print.
Circa £23m-turnover MBE UK & Ireland, meanwhile, runs a high street network of 153 Mail Boxes Etc post, parcel and print centres across the UK and Ireland. Founded in 1993 and based in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the company is run by licensed franchisees.
MBE UK & Ireland employs 20 staff at its head office while around 500 franchisees and staff work across its 153 centres. All stores and staff will continue, and the company told Printweek the intention is to use the acquisition to “kick-start” further growth in the UK.
All MBE stores offer digital printing and copying in full colour and black and white to SMEs and consumers. While the equipment run by the stores varies, it generally comprises of two pieces of Xerox kit up to SRA3, with finishing modules and associated equipment, to cover binding, laminating, stitching, folding and cutting.
The stores also offer B2B print services covering a wider range of litho print, which is usually fulfilled via outsourced print hubs. Around 25% of centres – and rising – also operate wide-format kit in store to meet plan and poster printing requirements, and a similar number employ graphic designers to provide business customers with a more complete print service and to generate more business.
The UK and Ireland centres form part of a network of 1,667 Mail Boxes Etc locations worldwide. These make up a large proportion of the 2,800 global service centres that MBE Worldwide operates in 53 countries.
The deal brings the UK and Ireland business into MBE Worldwide’s existing community of directly operated countries, which also comprises Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Poland, Portugal, the US, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands.
MBE UK & Ireland will retain its current management team and its headquarters will remain in Chipping Norton.
Cowie said: “This is an exciting development for the MBE UK & Ireland franchise system.
“Combining forces with MBE Worldwide creates unique opportunities for synergy with our colleagues, harnessing their strong franchise-based experience, to support our franchise network and grow our business in the UK and Ireland.”
Mail Boxes Etc (UK) managing director Francis Laryea added: “This acquisition demonstrates the MBE Worldwide commitment to growing the Mail Boxes Etc brand and network of post, parcel and print centres across core European markets, at a time of trade disruption caused by the impact of Brexit, as well as the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
MBE Worldwide chairman and chief executive Paolo Fiorelli called the UK and Ireland business “an excellent addition” to the company’s directly operated countries “because of its entrepreneur‐driven, people‐centric, customer‐first business model, which embodies our MBE business and culture”.
“We welcome and are excited to work even closer with the team, to provide high‐value solutions to our business and consumer customers in the UK & Ireland market,” he added.
MBE’s global network achieved system-wide 2020 sales of €879m (£759m).
