Mail Boxes Etc (MBE) Melbourne CBD has won the company’s 2017 Australian Franchise of the Year, along with winning other awards at its national awards conference.
The store has achieved four per cent growth year on year and had the highest average in centre visits. Lyn and Steve Murphy, owners of the Melbourne CBD store, also collected the 2017 Franchise of the Year Victoria Award and the Bronze Sales Award.
Lyn Murphy says, “We started in June 2001. We both had different backgrounds. I was doing printing and Stephen was doing contract management. I was doing what I was doing full time but then left to help him and we decided to buy a franchise together.
“We probably performed best across all levels of the MBE model. We provide various services: mail boxes, printing, packing and shipping but we do seem to be more balanced across all those aspects of the model where other branches might have different strengths.
“We were quite elated, we were taken aback and were not expecting the award – other branches had done better but I suppose it is not just about sales, it is about other aspects and giving it a go within our own team.
“We have a fantastic CEO. He has had a huge impact on how well our business does. We would like to give accolades to him.”
Also listed as winners were the MBEs at Kent Street Sydney, Milton and Currumbin all achieving the Bronze Sales Award, Eight Mile Plains winning the Silver and Parramatta taking out the Gold, along with the peer awarded Franchisee Choice Award.
[Related: MBE expands in WA]
Clayton Treolar, CEO of MBE Australia says, “The Franchisee Choice award is voted on by other franchises and it reflects who gives to the network, helps out at anytime and is a good model franchise. The Australian Franchise of the Year award is voted on by head office and that depends on a number of factors, whether they are following our model, their profitability for the year, other awards and so on.
“Melbourne succeeded because they always follow our system, their sales have increased year by year, the shop always looks immaculate, they are very profitable among other reasons.
“We could not have done this without our sponsors, including platinum sponsor Fuji Xerox. I want to thank them for the success of the weekend and they were all in attendance there.”
The Franchisee of the Year State winners were Kent Street for NSW/ACT, Stones Corner for QLD, Perth CBD for WA/SA.
MBE is looking to add six to eight new franchise partners over the next 12 months.
The firm celebrated the awards conference in the Barossa Valley, with Geiuseppe Bergonzi, general manager, Worldwide Development MBE in attendance.
MBE was established globally 30 years ago and 20 years ago in Australia. The company now has 1,600 centres internationally and 30 across Australia.
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