Learn why The UPS Store has been ranked among the top five franchise brands by Entrepreneur magazine for three consecutive years.
The UPS Store has once again been named one of the world’s top franchise brands according to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 40th Annual Franchise 500 list. The UPS Store was ranked #5 among all franchise brands and named the top brand in the postal, printing, communications and business services category. This marks the 29th year in a row that The UPS Store has achieved inclusion within this selective ranking program and its third year in the top five.
“We are honored to receive this recognition as a top franchise company,” said Chris Adkins, vice president of franchise and business development for The UPS Store, Inc. “At The UPS Store, we strive to be a trusted partner for our franchisees, providing support and diverse opportunities to help them achieve their full potential. With over 5,000 locations in North America, The UPS Store carries a strong brand presence across the country with a focus on retailing excellence and world-class customer service,” Adkins added.
How Entrepreneur Magazine Determines the Franchise 500 Ranking
The Entrepreneur Franchise 500 ranking is an exclusive annual collection of premiere franchise brands across 17 distinct business categories. To be considered for the list, franchise brands must meet these requirements:
- Have a minimum of 10 units open and operating
- Have at least one franchise located in either the U.S. or Canada
- Be seeking new franchisees in the U.S. or Canada
After determining eligibility, Entrepreneur looks at more than 150 data points and ranks the 500 companies with the highest overall scores. The franchise industry has experienced a lot of change in the 40 years that Entrepreneur has been publishing this list. Their proprietary formula has evolved to evaluate the strength of current franchise opportunities. The major factors influencing a brand’s score are:
- Costs and fees: franchise fee, total investment, royalty fees
- Size and growth: open and operating units, growth rate, closures
- Support: training times, marketing support, operational support, franchisor infrastructure, financing availability, litigation
- Brand strength: social media presence, system size, years in business, years franchising
- Financial strength and stability: audited financial statements
Why The UPS Store Is a Top Franchise Brand
The UPS Store has been in business for nearly 40 years and has a proven business model that has helped thousands of franchisees achieve success.
Our franchisees enjoy the power of a nationally renowned brand with a celebrated reputation. And, with our comprehensive training program, ongoing support and guidance, they’re never in business alone.
One of the main reasons The UPS Store has consistently been named a top franchise brand is our commitment to continued growth and expanded opportunities including store in store and other non-traditional locations.
With the store in store model, franchisees set up freestanding centers inside existing high-traffic businesses such as pharmacies, hardware and grocery stores. This allows business owners to provide additional services to their existing customers and become a one-stop shop. The store in store model is especially valuable in smaller communities where the variety of printing and shipping services provided by The UPS Store is not readily available.
The UPS Store centers can also be established within other non-traditional locations such as hotels and convention centers. These locations are critical to the daily operation of the facility and meeting the needs of guests and conference attendees. Non-traditional locations can also be located on military bases. These centers are a convenient and reliable resource for the community and help families stay in touch with their loved ones. Likewise, centers on college campuses control the chaos of mail delivery, package receiving and storage during breaks and move-out periods.
Interested in exploring opportunities to open a The UPS Store location in your area? Contact our franchise development team today!
Store in Store and Non-Traditional Location Success Stories
Elmora Healthcare & Pharmacy
Owned by the Hertz family for more than 78 years, Elmora Healthcare and Pharmacy has a great reputation in the community. Although a well-established business with a strong customer base, owners Michael and Ben Hertz were looking for new ways to increase foot traffic in the pharmacy. After considering that the city of over 120,000 people had no access to printing and shipping services, they decided to open the first-ever The UPS Store center located within a pharmacy.
When asked about their success, Ben noted, “Every day, literally, people come in and say this is the greatest idea. We needed one of these in our town.”
Customers love the idea of being able to have their prescriptions filled and utilize the services offered by The UPS Store at the same time. “It also gives us extended hours that our customers really appreciate. Customers can come in before work, after work – our store offers them the convenience of being there when they need us,” Ben added.
And the foot traffic? They now see hundreds of new people every day who have never been in the store or ever even heard of the pharmacy. As a result, both businesses benefit.
Belmont University
The UPS Store franchisees Les Jackson and Jim Thein overhauled the on-campus mail facility at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. By implementing new services and technologies, they were able to streamline mail management for the university and service the needs of the community.
The center handles all incoming mail and packages for the university’s 8,800 students and faculty. When a package arrives, the recipient is notified via email or text with a pickup code. To retrieve the package, the recipient goes to The UPS Store on campus and enters the code into a kiosk wall module. The UPS Store team members are notified and release the package after verifying identification.
To improve convenience for package retrieval, an electronic locker system was installed – the first nationwide. Students/faculty pay in advance for locker service. Then, when they receive a package, they can retrieve it at their convenience with 24-hour access using a confirmation code they receive via email.
Conveniently located on the corner of the Belmont University campus with an easily accessible public parking lot, it’s also a full-service store for the local neighborhood.
“We wanted to work together with the university to provide an asset not only to the faculty and students, but to the surrounding community,” said Jackson. “And we can only get bigger and better as we go.”
Hilton Orlando
The Hilton Orlando is one of Orlando’s premier convention hosts. With a Four Diamond rating, 236,000 square feet of meeting and event space, and a connecting walkway to the Orange County Convention Center, it hosts hundreds of conferences each year. The UPS Store became the perfect solution for a full-service business center to support meeting planners and conference attendees.
Operated by franchisees Michael Shaginaw and Michael Onorato, the non-traditional location acts as an extension of the hotel by also running its package handling service with the highest level of reliability and customer service. By attending the hotel’s weekly staff meetings, The UPS Store is in tune with the inner workings of the hotel and equipped to offer the on-site services needed by many guests.
“We get many compliments from guests,” Shaginaw says. “Business and leisure travelers alike say, ‘Thank you. We’re glad you’re here. We use our local The UPS Store, and we’re glad to see you in a hotel.’”
