V
vic
Guest
A brief history of the UPS Stores:
1980: U.S. Mail Boxes founded by Gerald Aul, Pat Senn, and Robert Diaz. Name changed to Mail Boxes Etc. USA
1986: Name changed to Mail Boxes Etc. Becomes a publicly traded company.
1997: U.S. Office Products Co., a $3.5 billion supplier of office materials and services, plunked down $267 million to purchase Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) Inc., the world's largest franchisor of business communication and postal service centers. Industry insiders were optimistic about the partnership's prospects, as MBE's 3,300 worldwide retail locations join forces with U.S. Office's massive purchasing power.
2001: UPS acquired MBE from bankrupt U.S. Office Products for $200 million, rescuing the company from a firm that could not finance expansion because of a $1 billion debt burden and other troubles. MBE sent between $60 million and $70 million in profits to USOP during its five-year ownership and received nothing in return, MBE officials recalled.
2003: More than 3,000 MBE locations began re-branding as The UPS Store. Ranks first in Entrepreneur magazines annual "Franchise 500" in the postal and business services category for the 13th consecutive year.
(Message edited by Vic on October 18, 2003)
1980: U.S. Mail Boxes founded by Gerald Aul, Pat Senn, and Robert Diaz. Name changed to Mail Boxes Etc. USA
1986: Name changed to Mail Boxes Etc. Becomes a publicly traded company.
1997: U.S. Office Products Co., a $3.5 billion supplier of office materials and services, plunked down $267 million to purchase Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) Inc., the world's largest franchisor of business communication and postal service centers. Industry insiders were optimistic about the partnership's prospects, as MBE's 3,300 worldwide retail locations join forces with U.S. Office's massive purchasing power.
2001: UPS acquired MBE from bankrupt U.S. Office Products for $200 million, rescuing the company from a firm that could not finance expansion because of a $1 billion debt burden and other troubles. MBE sent between $60 million and $70 million in profits to USOP during its five-year ownership and received nothing in return, MBE officials recalled.
2003: More than 3,000 MBE locations began re-branding as The UPS Store. Ranks first in Entrepreneur magazines annual "Franchise 500" in the postal and business services category for the 13th consecutive year.
(Message edited by Vic on October 18, 2003)