PACK & SEND – Glasgow City Launch Success 

What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?

The training was very hands-on and extremely personal. The franchisor has invested well in developing the training materials and platforms for franchisees to build a profitable business. The online training platform is quite comprehensive and includes a first-class suite of sales and marketing modules, which are vital to the success of any new business.

PACK & SEND’s two guarantees have helped get my business off to a great start. The year 1 brand lead guarantee offered me a defined number of leads with the opportunity to secure long-term repeat customers, whilst the marketing support guarantee sees the franchisor match my marketing spend for my first year (up to a maximum of £6,000).

Have there been any unexpected challenges or especially challenging cases?

I was unfortunate to have my training curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but managed to get a really good feel for the business and PACK & SEND’s core operating platform. This was confirmation that I had made the right choice by investing in PACK & SEND. I could fully appreciate the business development and sales process, seeing for myself that it does work.

Another challenge was locating the business and securing a good commercial deal for the lease. It was vital to find the right location that would provide us with the best chance to offer a steady stream of enquiries.

What does a typical day look like? 

I don’t think there’s such thing as a typical day. We’re busy from the very minute we open the doors until we realise that it’s time to go home. There’s a real mix of activities going on throughout the day though, including handling enquiries, packaging projects and liaising with clients.

What are you most looking forward to with your business?

I’m looking forward to running a profitable and lively business. I’m keen to expand my PACK & SEND portfolio. In the first instance, I’ll be focusing on building a strong service centre team who can make Glasgow City a successful venture and ensure we become a strong brand ambassador in Scotland and beyond. I want to be the one to spearhead the growth of PACK & SEND in Scotland.

What would you advise someone who is considering in investing in a PACK & SEND franchise?

Be prepared to work in a very focused and organised manner. If you can’t do that, you’ll miss opportunities. It’s crucial to be able to work to a schedule and be particular with your work too. It’s extremely rewarding so you’ve got to be determined and a go-getter.  

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PACK & SEND - A business that you CAN have a life with!

Franchisee Questions:

What did you do before franchising and what led you to look into it?

I was a JV Partner in two of the Dominos Pizza Outlets. I was looking for a change from Food business to something like a ‘normal' office hours business which led me to take up the franchise opportunity with PACK & SEND

Why this sector and why PACK & SEND? How did you find out about them?

I was always interested in retail business, in my 12 years of experience in retail I have sold Rice, Bikes, Motorbikes, Cooking Oil, Dominos Pizza and now Pack & Send. PACK & SEND is unique in its own way and that is what excited me to know more about this business model.

In PACK & SEND we specialise in Packing Fragile, Large, Awkward, Valuable, Art & Antiques and Shipping with in UK or anywhere in the world. I found PACK & SEND online (Google) when researching new opportunities.

How did you find the process of raising funds?

I needed to get some bank lending but the Business Manager at our bank (NatWest) was very efficient at arranging the funds, it was quite easy and a straight forward process. How long did the whole process from funds/applying to training to getting up and running, take?

4 - 6 Months 

What support and training did you receive and continue to receive from the franchisor?

The training programme provided wider knowledge about PACK & SEND which included the packing, shipping, marketing and sales etc. After finishing my training and I started trading in my store and in the first month I sometimes had doubts when it came to packing methods and it was easy to get in touch with the corporate team to clarify the best approach. They were also helpful in doing a marketing plan for my store and were in the store with my for the first week or so.

How has it been going so far?

It has been 3 months since I took on the PACK & SEND store in Oxford and the progress has been steady. Everyday is exciting as you don't know what you can expect from customers and what we will have to pack and ship next. It is also stimulating as there are often several ways to help with a customer's complex needs and I enjoy putting suitable proposals together for them.

What's your typical day like (if there's such a thing!)

This is difficult to answer as it is always different. One of the things that attracted me to the business was the variety of the jobs we handle and the challenge of providing appropriate solutions.
What do you foresee for the short and long-term future of your business?
The short term business plan is to train my new staff and grow the sales in my Oxford store so that it meets the budgeted monthly sales on a regular basis. This will then allow me to expand by opening multiple stores.

How has it had an impact on your life?

PACK & SEND has fulfilled my need for change when it comes to work life, as I was looking for an office hours business. This has improved the quality of my life and the time I can spend with the family and friends.

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PACK & SEND – A Franchise Business for Corporate Managers

Pack & Send is a physical business that is not going to be killed by the internet. I like the concept and the fact that it's new to the UK - that makes it a risk but also a great opportunity. Like all franchises, one gets a territory of an agreed size but, as Pack & Send is fairly new and the concentration of stores is not yet that high, to all intents and purposes I can operate in a much bigger area.

It's a high gross margin business based on service, innovation and delivery and there just aren't many companies nation-wide that have our skills and ability - we offer a retail service that fills a gap in the market between the high volume corporate contracts offered by the freight companies and the discounted but basic delivery services available to consumers. So far it's been entirely what I expected it to be.

In what way did your earlier experience in other areas/careers help?

My career has always involved dealing with people, negotiating and trading, so I use that experience to deal with private and business customers alike. I understand the corporate mentality and that helps with some of the bigger companies that use our services.

I'm a great believer in doing things properly even if it's slightly more expensive and involves a little more work. If you do a good job for people they will remember, and our customers are already giving us lots of word-of-mouth recommendations.

Have there been any unexpected challenges or especially challenging cases?

One of the more interesting challenges was a Tang Dynasty Chinese horse sculpture with broken ears. It had to make a round trip to a craftsman to be fixed - and come back in one piece. We used a custom-made foam bed for the horse which became a re-usable transport case for it.

We create solutions on a daily basis with a bit of lateral thinking and some imagination. It helps to have some construction skills and be good with tools, and that's all part of the fun. We get a lot of help from head office and the rest of the network but ultimately we have to decide on the solution ourselves.

What does a typical day look like? What do you love about your work now?

We have to solve different problems every day and finding solutions provides a sense of satisfaction. We work out both how to pack and ship all kinds of things to ensure safe and timely delivery, but also to keep the costs competitive. We could be dealing with orders that range from £50 for a private individual to £4,000 for a corporate customer and working out how to transport anything from circus equipment to delicate computer parts.

It's not rocket science but we have the means to take away a lot of our customers' headaches, such as packing challenges and customs paperwork. I believe all of our customers have been delighted with the service and many have come back - we help solve people's problems and that's a great thing to do.

What would you advise someone who took on a Pack & Send franchise?

If you want to do something a bit different and more interesting Pack & Send is a fantastic opportunity. If you're not comfortable with the physical side of it and humping boxes around, running vans and dealing with large volumes of material, then it's probably not for you. You will need to be reasonably practical and good at dealing with people.

What are your plans for the future?

My ambition is to make a huge success of this franchise after which I hope to expand into more branches.

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PACK & SEND - Keeping it in the Family 

Helen & Colin McDonald - PACK & SEND Southampton

Across the territories that PACK & SEND trades there are many successful stores run by husband and wife partnerships and when Helen and Colin McDonald took on the PACK & SEND store in Southampton in the Spring of 2012 they became the second husband and wife team in the UK.

What did you do before you ran your franchise?

Helen was a police officer for almost 29 years undertaking roles from an area beat officer to scenes of crime investigator amongst other things. Colin was an area manager with several breweries up to 2007 - managing between 40 and 60 pubs in England and the Welsh borders. He also managed two supermarkets for the Co-op for eighteen months before joining PACK & SEND.

What made you decide to work together?

The couple had discussed what would happen when Helen retired from the police as she would still be relatively young and had considered a bed and breakfast at one stage. However, just as Helen was due to retire in March 2012, the opportunity arose to purchase the PACK & SEND in Southampton franchise from the previous franchisee who was selling due to ill health.

Colin knew the business, the existing customer base and the financial performance, so the decision making process was relatively straight forward . Being a couple who own the business ensures that you both have the same goal to succeed .

What appealed to you about the brand?

The PACK & SEND business has been trading for 20 years since its launch in Australia and, as Colin was already involved in the franchise, the couple could see the potential growth in the business and the existing customer base in Southampton. Whilst it is still new to the UK, the PACK & SEND proposition is unique in the market which makes raising awareness of the business in the local area the biggest challenge for franchisees.

The variety of jobs from high value antiques, sentimental family heirlooms, to sending 3 metre long ceiling panels for super yachts, means every enquiry brings a different challenge and tremendous satisfaction when you provide the customer with a tailor made solution.

How do you work together?

Deciding how Helen would slot into the business was a challenge as Colin already had a role and Helen had to be inducted whilst keeping the business running. As a couple we have allocated tasks that use our personal strengths. Helen's interpersonal skills, developed over many years of helping and serving the general public, are focussed on the customer facing parts of the operation in store, on the phone, through email and customer feedback.

Colin spent many years appointing and advising self employed publicans on how to grow and manage their businesses so these areas of the operation fall under his remit. Both of them get involved in packing though Helen wisely ‘delegates' the heavier boxes and parcels to the other staff members boxes around the store!

Good communication between each other and no assumptions are key to success. The biggest challenge when working together is to achieve a sensible work /life balance. As with most small businesses, the current economic climate makes sales and profit growth very time-consuming but, whilst there are days that are just too long, working together means they both know what needs to be done.

What advice would you give to other couples considering franchising?

Any couple considering running their own business must be honest with each other and be prepared to see a different person to the one they see in a home environment.

The plus points are that you are your own bosses in control of your own destiny and will reap the rewards of your business success. You will find your partner has qualities that you never realised they had.
 

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