The UPS Store
A UPS-owned franchise retail network providing shipping, packing, printing, mailbox, and related business services.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The UPS Store is a franchised retail service network owned by United Parcel Service, Inc. It provides consumers, small businesses, students, travelers, and other customers with access to shipping, packing, printing, document services, mailboxes, and selected administrative services. Although the stores operate under the UPS name and serve as important UPS customer-access points, individual locations are generally independently owned and operated by franchisees. The chain developed from Mail Boxes Etc., a business founded in 1980 as an alternative to traditional post-office services. UPS acquired Mail Boxes Etc. in March 2001. Following the acquisition, UPS converted more than 3,000 locations in the United States to The UPS Store identity in February 2003. The rebranding connected the retail network more directly with UPS’s parcel-delivery infrastructure while preserving the local-service model associated with franchised stores. Mail Boxes Etc. continued as a separate identity in some markets outside the United States and Canada, while The UPS Store became the principal consumer-facing retail brand in the two North American markets. The network’s core role is to make shipping and related business services convenient and accessible outside UPS’s larger transport facilities. Customers can bring packages to stores for packing and shipment, purchase packaging materials, or drop off parcels bearing prepaid UPS labels. Stores also provide services aimed at small enterprises and home-based businesses, including document production, business printing, promotional materials, mailbox rental, copying, faxing, shredding, notarization, and related administrative support. Depending on the location, services may also include passport photographs, postal services, and 3D printing. The UPS Store’s locations are commonly positioned in shopping centers and other high-traffic areas, as well as near colleges, hotels, convention centers, and military bases. This placement supports a convenience-oriented proposition: customers can handle shipping, returns, printing, and mail-management tasks in one local visit. The franchise structure allows stores to adapt their service mix to the needs of nearby households, students, independent professionals, and small companies. Printing is a major part of the network’s non-shipping business. Offerings can include brochures, flyers, menus, manuals, door hangers, yard signs, vehicle magnets, and other marketing or operational materials. The network also supports document finishing and reproduction services, allowing small organizations to obtain materials without maintaining their own commercial equipment. By 2021, the network had 5,268 locations across the United States and Canada, according to the referenced Wikipedia material. The UPS Store has also received recognition in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 rankings, placing fifth overall in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2021. Its present positioning combines the logistics credibility of UPS with the accessibility of a neighborhood franchise network, particularly for parcel shipping, returns, packaging, printing, and the everyday operational needs of small businesses.
History
The UPS Store traces its origins to Mail Boxes Etc., which was established in 1980 as a retail alternative to conventional post-office services. The original concept combined private mailbox rental with shipping and other business-support services, creating a local storefront for customers who needed more flexible access than a government postal facility typically provided. Over time, the model expanded to include packing, copying, printing, faxing, document handling, and related services for both individuals and small businesses. United Parcel Service acquired Mail Boxes Etc. in March 2001. The transaction gave UPS a broad retail presence in addition to its parcel-delivery network. Rather than treating the stores solely as shipping counters, UPS retained the multi-service character of the acquired chain, allowing locations to serve as neighborhood business-service centers. The acquisition also provided UPS with more direct access to consumers and small enterprises that needed to send packages, receive mail, produce documents, or purchase packaging. In February 2003, UPS rebranded more than 3,000 Mail Boxes Etc. locations in the United States as The UPS Store. The new identity made the relationship with UPS explicit and placed the stores within the company’s wider brand architecture. The outlets remained franchised and independently owned, so local operators continued to manage individual stores while using the national brand and participating in its service network. The Mail Boxes Etc. name remained relevant in certain international markets, but The UPS Store became the principal retail identity for the United States and Canada. The rebranded network developed around two connected functions. First, it acts as a customer-facing access point for UPS package services. Customers can bring in shipments for packing and dispatch, drop off parcels with prepaid labels, and obtain packaging supplies. Second, it provides a broader set of local commercial services that are not limited to parcel transportation. These include printing, copying, faxing, shredding, notary services, passport photographs, mailbox rental, postal services, and, at some locations, 3D printing. The service portfolio has made the network particularly relevant to small businesses, independent professionals, home offices, students, and consumers who need occasional access to commercial equipment. Printing capabilities can cover items such as brochures, flyers, restaurant menus, manuals, door hangers, yard signs, and vehicle magnets. Mailbox services provide individuals and businesses with a managed delivery address, while document and notary services support routine administrative tasks. Stores are generally placed in convenient retail and commercial environments, including shopping centers, areas near colleges, hotels, convention facilities, and military bases. This location strategy supports the brand’s role as a practical, local service point rather than a specialized logistics depot. The franchise structure also allows individual stores to emphasize the services most relevant to their surrounding communities. The network had 5,268 locations across the United States and Canada in 2021, according to the referenced Wikipedia article. The brand has also appeared prominently in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 rankings, placing fifth overall in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2021. The UPS Store’s development therefore reflects the integration of a long-standing independent retail-service concept into UPS’s parcel ecosystem, followed by continued expansion into printing, document services, mail management, and other small-business needs.
- 2021
Franchise 500 ranking reaches third place
[1]The UPS Store is ranked third overall in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500.
- 2020
Second consecutive fifth-place Franchise 500 ranking
[1]The brand again ranks fifth overall in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500.
- 2019
Franchise 500 recognition
[1]The UPS Store is ranked fifth overall in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500.
- 2003
The United States network adopts The UPS Store name
[1]More than 3,000 United States locations are rebranded from Mail Boxes Etc. to The UPS Store in February.
- 2001
UPS acquires Mail Boxes Etc.
[1]United Parcel Service acquires the Mail Boxes Etc. network in March.
- 1980
Mail Boxes Etc. is founded
[1]Mail Boxes Etc. begins as a retail alternative to the post office, offering mailbox and related mailing services.
Products and positioning
A convenient neighborhood access point for UPS shipping and a broad range of printing, mailing, packaging, and small-business support services.
Shipping services
Shipping and package drop-off
Stores accept UPS shipments, provide shipment preparation, and serve as drop-off points for packages carrying prepaid labels. Customers can also obtain assistance with selecting packaging and arranging shipment for new parcels.
Packaging services
Packing services
The network provides packing assistance and sells packaging materials for consumer and business shipments. The service is designed for customers who need help preparing fragile, irregularly shaped, or otherwise difficult-to-pack items.
Printing services
Printing and document services
Printing offerings can include brochures, flyers, menus, manuals, door hangers, yard signs, vehicle magnets, and other business or promotional materials. Stores may also provide copying, faxing, document finishing, and related reproduction services.
Mail services
Mailboxes
Personal and business mailbox services provide customers with a managed local address for receiving mail and packages. The offering is aimed at households, travelers, independent professionals, and small organizations seeking an alternative or supplement to a home or office address.
Business support services
Business and administrative services
Depending on the location, stores offer document shredding, notary services, passport photographs, fax services, postal services, and 3D printing. Availability varies by independently operated franchise location.
Controversies
2021
Vermont attorney general sues UPS Store franchise location
Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan filed a civil lawsuit, a motion for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop a UPS Store location in Newport after its owner allowed employees to work without face coverings, contrary to the state's mask mandate.
Brand decisions
2003
Rebranding of United States Mail Boxes Etc. locationsStrategyBackground
After acquiring Mail Boxes Etc., UPS moved to connect the retail network more directly with its internationally recognized parcel brand.
Action taken
More than 3,000 United States locations were renamed The UPS Store in February 2003.
Aftermath
The UPS Store became the primary UPS-affiliated retail service identity in the United States, while individual locations continued to operate as franchises.
2001
Acquisition of Mail Boxes Etc.M&ABackground
UPS sought to incorporate an established retail network for mailing, mailbox, and business services into its parcel-delivery ecosystem.
Action taken
UPS acquired Mail Boxes Etc. in March 2001.
Aftermath
The acquisition created the corporate basis for the later United States rebrand as The UPS Store.
Recent events
Commerce Canal partners with two UPS Store locations[4]
Commerce Canal formalised a partnership with two independently owned and operated UPS Store locations in Brooklyn to handle repair, refurbishment, repackaging, or recycling of customer returns and shipments for e-commerce sites and platforms.
Vermont attorney general sues UPS Store franchise location[3]
Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan filed a civil lawsuit, a motion for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop a UPS Store location in Newport after its owner allowed employees to work without face coverings, contrary to the state's mask mandate.
The UPS Store terminates relationship with Newport franchisee[5]
Reported:
The UPS Store terminated its relationship with the Newport franchise owner effective at close of business on February 18, after the franchise location and its associates violated the brand's mask requirement and repeated attempts to obtain compliance were ignored.
Warm Up Cornwall and The UPS Store partner on winter clothing drive[6]
Reported:
Warm Up Cornwall partnered with The UPS Store, which is accepting donations of snowsuits and winterwear for the community clothing drive.
The UPS Stores in Fort Collins donate graduation signs[7]
Reported:
Two The UPS Store locations in Fort Collins said they were donating a yard sign to recognize seniors in four local graduating classes. The signs were expected to arrive around May 1 and would be delivered to the schools for distribution.
Sources7 sources
- 1The UPS Storeen.wikipedia.org
- 2The UPS Store official websitetheupsstore.com
- 3Vermont attorney general sues UPS Store franchise locationvermontbiz.com
- 4Commerce Canal 与两家 UPS Store 门店建立合作fibre2fashion.com
- 5The UPS Store终止与Newport加盟商的合作关系mynbc5.com
- 6Warm Up Cornwall 与 The UPS Store 合作开展冬季衣物募集活动standard-freeholder.com
- 7The UPS Store在柯林斯堡捐赠毕业纪念牌k99.com
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