Mail Boxes Etc. announces Franchisee of the Year
Brighton
franchisee, Dave Tester, is Mail Boxes Etc.’s new “franchisee of the
year”. The award was made at the
franchise conference on 7th June in recognition of Dave’s
outstanding success, his many achievements since opening his store in January
2006 and the rapid progress he has made in developing the business.
In addition, the award recognises Dave’s huge contribution to Mail
Boxes Etc. (MBE) and the network as a whole.
He is part of the franchise’s consultative Marketing Group and shares
best practice with others in the network.
He has introduced new products and services and, also, identified new
opportunities for his centre, which have been adopted by other franchisees.
Dave Tester was chosen from MBE’s network of over 100 High Street
“one-stop” business service centres across the UK and Ireland. MBE in the UK is part of a global network of
more than 6,000 outlets.
Unique in UK franchising, MBE offers local companies and members of
the public a wide range of quick, easy and cost-effective business services
that include specialist packing and parcel delivery all over the world, mailbox
rental, digital colour copying, professional lithographic printing, document
finishing services, stationery, office supplies and postal services.
Before joining MBE, Dave enjoyed a varied career. He worked in the Middle East, USA and the
West Indies for over 20 years as a petroleum inspector in the oil
industry. While based in San Francisco
he decided to change direction and indulge his passion for food and cooking by
training as a chef in New York. He returned
to San Francisco, where he ran his own catering business and cookery school and
also cooked in one of the city’s most famous restaurants before deciding to
come back to the UK. He set up a food
manufacturing business, which was subsequently sold.
Dave then started a business selling insurance products to ex-pats
around the world until new compliance regulations were introduced that made it
very difficult for any small business to operate in the financial services
sector. He sold it to an insurance
company and then started to consider some new options, including franchising, which
he already knew and understood.
“I went to a franchise exhibition and met some franchisors, although
none of the businesses held significant appeal until I went on to the Mail
Boxes Etc. stand. I already knew MBE
from my time in the USA,” Dave said. “It
seemed to offer great variety and I could see the potential for making a sound
business out of an MBE franchise. In the
past, I had worked for an auction house in Bond Street, so I had some
experience of this sector and realised how important a reliable pack and ship
service is.
“I
understood the value of the other MBE services and how they meet the genuine
needs of local businesses. Since
opening three years ago, I’ve discovered that the demand is escalating,
especially for courier services and mailbox rental and, recently, for our
Ordnance Survey-approved mapping and data service,” Dave continued.
Speaking about the award, Dave said:
“I am delighted to receive this award and give thanks to my staff and to my
partner Sachiko without whose help, patience and hard work it wouldn’t have
been possible.”
MBE’s recruitment consultant, Chris Gillam,
congratulated Dave on his success, commenting:
“We’re delighted to announce this award.
Dave’s personal success is well deserved and he has made a big
contribution to MBE, demonstrating his commitment to his own business and to
the network as a whole.
