Pack & Send is powering, and it’s all thanks to a combination of savvy tech investments, the boom in ecommerce, smart strategy and the backing of a global billion dollar company.

“Last year we exceeded $91m in sales revenue for the Pack & Send brand, 26 per cent growth on the previous year, across three countries. That was largely due to disruption in the market because of Covid, and the boom in ecommerce,” says Nicholas Woodward, country manager for Pack & Send.

“The pleasing thing is this has translated into strong profit growth for our franchise partners as well.”

The boom in ecommerce

The ecommerce boom has seen an acceleration in demand for parcel and shipping services. As a result the business has experienced volumes it expected to achieved in 2024. And the parcel shipping market overall looks set to double from its capacity in 2021 to 2026, according to a Pitney Bowes prediction.

“We’re riding this wave,” says Nicholas, “due to the investment we made in our technology years ago.”

Pack & Send’s leadership has been diligent in backing the future. Nicholas, with the business 15 years when he took on his leadership role in September 2021, is continuing the trend.

“Our most recent investment is building our own ecommerce software as a service (SAAS) platform called Pack & Send Live. This lets customers integrate their shopping cart and fulfil their own ecommerce orders. They can ship them utilising our buying power and expertise. 

New business model

“What differentiates us most is that our software is backed by award-winning customer-service. What we’ve done is build a whole new business model for our franchisees to service a new market of customers,” he points out.

The company motto and mission has always been to send anything anywhere. Today a breadth of solutions extends from individuals sending parcels and satchels, to a brand new micro-fulfilment solution. This is a bold step into a burgeoning marketplace and links the brand’s shipping expertise with small business.

“Think of all our outlets as mini depots where customers can hold small amounts of their most popular stock,” explains Nicholas. Pack & Send can then distribute goods quickly and cost-effectively for the seller.

Franchisees now have two business options. The retail service centre of about 80 to 100 sqm can hold limited amounts of small-scale goods. The logistics service centres (with a retail counter) range from 200 to 1000 sqm. 

This warehouse model is similar to one employed in Europe by Mail Boxes Etc. This is one of the brands owned by Milan-based MBE Worldwide which last year acquired Pack & Send and an ecommerce marketplace called PrestaShop.

“The PrestaShop acquisition really embeds MBE Worldwide as an ecommerce business, not just a printing and shipping business,” says Nicholas.

“Being part of MBE Worldwide has given us the support and resources of a billion dollar sales business. There’s also the opportunity to learn about best practice in US and Europe, and have access to more global carrier partners.

“My role is to ensure we have sustainable growth both as a franchisor and also for franchisees. It’s about the brand expanding in the physical locations we have in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

“It’s about making sure the model is current and evolves with the changing needs of customers. 

“We’ve taken our expertise on shipping and logistics, and applied that expertise in an ecommerce environment, streamlining order fulfilment to ensure receivers have an outstanding customer experience.”