The holding company based in Italy Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) has outlined an expansion plan with which it seeks to go from 64 to 130 stores in Mexico in the next five years, doubling its presence at a market moment that has led to parcel, courier and logistics firms to register their best results due to the boom in electronic commerce that has rebounded in the last year.
The strategy of the company, which operates in 35 countries, is part of a growth promoted as part of the agreement between MBE and the investment fund Oaktree Capital Management, which at the beginning of 2020 acquired 40% of the shipping company for 120 million euros. euros.
“This year we expect significant growth,” says Ilan Epelbaum, CEO of MBE in Mexico. “We seek to close the year with more than 70 stores. In 2020 we had double-digit growth in billing issues, and this year we will continue to seek something similar through alliances and the launch of new products, ”he says in an interview. Each store has an approximate investment amount of 1.5 million pesos.
Before the pandemic, the company already operated under a franchise model that offered intermediation services between clients and logistics firms, who went to MBE establishments to collect orders on occasions.
But the health contingency led the firm to assume several roles, such as the delivery of parcels and even to offer warehousing services in the face of a historical rebound in e-commerce , which led the logistics sector to grow in one year what was projected for the next four to five years, according to industry estimates.
For MBE, Mexico is the sixth largest market worldwide, and accounts for half of the turnover of the entire Latin American region, says Epelbaum. Around 90% of the firm’s clients are companies, mainly in the textile, technology and services sectors.
The firm’s operations are mainly concentrated in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara, in addition to other markets such as Chihuahua, Matamoros and Hermosillo. As part of its growth in the country, MBE plans to strengthen its presence in these markets, in addition to entering new ones, mainly in tourist destinations.
“One of the markets where we want to enter is Mérida, the same in Oaxaca, because the historical ones tell us that the stores that sell the most are where there is a lot of tourism. We would also like to enter Los Cabos ”, explains Epelbaum.
MBE’s plans also contemplate new acquisitions, as has happened previously with its subsidiaries AlphaGraphics and PostNet, and more recently with the Australian firm Pack & Send, whose purchase was announced last March for an undisclosed amount.
“There are plans for upcoming acquisitions in Mexico. Due to confidentiality issues, we cannot talk about names, but Mexico is country number six for the brand, so this is a benefit at a global level, ”says the manager.
