Learn about the different perks The UPS Store offers for franchise owners.
Opening a franchise business can be a catch-22. Franchise ownership offers perks that independent business owners enjoy like being your own boss and setting your own schedule. However, some franchise brands have more restrictive policies than others, making it tough to customize business operations. While many franchise owners with other brands feel this pain, The UPS Store offers several ways for our franchisees to run their business the way they want, while still enjoying the support of our brand.
Here’s a look at the freedoms and advantages owners enjoy when opening a franchise business with The UPS Store.
Multiple options for opening a franchise location
Some brands only offer one standard type of location for franchise owners. The UPS Store bucks this trend by providing prospective owners the choice between several types of centers. Here’s a look at a few of the options prospective The UPS Store franchisees can choose from.
Store in Store locations
If you already own a business and are looking for ways to expand your product and service offerings, this model is for you. The UPS Store launched our Store in Store concept way back in the 1980s to enable businesses like hotels and convention centers to set up freestanding centers in existing locations. In 2016, The UPS Store expanded this concept to include businesses like pharmacies and hardware stores. Here are just some success stories of our Store in Store model:
- College and University Example: Opening The UPS Store Franchise at Arizona State University
- Pharmacy Testimonial: The UPS Store Franchisee Ben Hertz Shares the Benefits of Opening a Store in Store Location in Local Pharmacy
- Franchise Owner Spotlight: Jay Patel on Opening a Franchise in the Charlotte Convention Center
Rural market locations
The UPS Store provides essential business services like packing and shipping, mailbox solutions, digital printing, faxing and notary services. These services are critical to businesses in any market, not just highly-populated, urban areas. So, while some franchise brands eschew smaller markets, The UPS Store encourages opening locations in rural areas.
If you’re interested in opening a franchise business in a rural location, there are plenty of reasons why partnering with The UPS Store is a great choice:
- There’s less competition – The UPS Store centers in rural markets are often the only option residents have when they need essential business services.
- There’s more opportunity – rural markets are typically less dense when it comes to businesses so there are more opportunities to find the right location for your center.
- It’s more affordable – opening a franchise business in a rural market is typically less expensive than more-populated areas thanks to lower costs for real estate, utilities and operations.
Wide range of solutions to offer customers
In case you haven’t heard, The UPS Store does a lot more than shipping. The UPS Store franchisees offer customers a wide range of small business solutions like printing, mailboxes, direct mail, financial services, accounting, business management, communications and human resources. When you franchise with The UPS Store, you can focus your promotional efforts and employee training to make any of these solutions the focus of your location based on the needs of the market you serve.
Ability to tailor solutions for your market
If the concern of not being able to innovate is holding you back from opening a franchise business, The UPS Store also allows our franchise owners to develop new solutions to offer consumers. If a The UPS Store owner recognizes a need in their individual market and we don’t already offer the solutions to address it, we have an approval process in place for the franchisee to help us roll out a new product or service.
Also, as we mentioned above, the Store in Store model allows you to add a The UPS Store center and all its services to your existing business. This is especially useful in rural markets where business services are scarce, and it can be an effective way to make your store a one-stop shop for existing customers in any market.
Support from corporate
Outside of helping new franchise owners get their centers up and running, The UPS Store offers ongoing support like marketing, advertising and public relations to help franchisees grow their business. Included in that support is access to localized marketing initiatives. These initiatives often give franchises the flexibility to customize strategies and promotional collateral to add a personalized and localized touch to our national brand messages.
Support from other franchise owners
The UPS Store has been in the franchising game for almost four decades and has more than 4,700 franchise-owned locations in the United States. A brand with that kind of experience and scale is key if you’re thinking about opening a franchise business. The UPS Store franchisees often rave about having access to an expansive network of fellow owners to help them learn new and innovative ways to run their own business.
“It’s really motivational to go to other stores. I’ve visited hundreds of stores over the last 29 years, and I think that’s what anyone thinking about opening a franchise business should be doing,” says The UPS Store multi-center owner Jay Patel. “One of the most significant assets we have in the franchise model is the ability to network with other franchisees, visit their stores and find out how they're operating. It gives you more confidence as an owner to learn some of their best practices and incorporate them into the way you run your store.”
If you’re thinking of opening a franchise business, think about whether this kind of support and freedom is important to you. If it is, make sure to partner with a brand that gives you the freedom to run your business the way that works best for you and a network of fellow owners to help you learn what that is.
Want to learn more about opening a franchise location with The UPS Store? You can contact our franchise development team, drop in on one of our weekly webinars or attend a live event in your area.
