Pack & Send Packing a Punch

Our latest Article from Franchise New Zealand Magazine

Pack & Send franchisees have enjoyed a big sales boom as business grow

Garry & Cherry Le Verne, Pack & Send Albany franchisees

At the end of 2015, Pack & Send can look back on a great year after a successful online marketing campaign saw sales across the franchise increase by up to 25 percent. ‘We set ourselves three main goals – increased website visitors, increased requests to the group and, most importantly, a big increase in individual franchisees’ transactions and revenue,’ explains Matthew Everest. ‘We achieved them all just ten months into the campaign, so it’s been a huge boost for everyone.’

As master franchisee for New Zealand, Matthew brought Pack & Send  here in 2008. Founded in Australia 22 years ago, the company promises to “send anything, anywhere – no limits,” and originally concentrated upon the Fragile, Large, Awkward or Valuable items (FLAV for short) that other freight companies wouldn’t touch. ‘That was the hole in the market,’ says Matthew, ‘but we rapidly expanded into everyday run-of-the-mill stuff because we offered such a bespoke service. Customers walk in and we  do the rest – bubble wrap, boxes, freight, the whole lot – and all for  one credit card transaction. Now we do a lot of work for commercial clients, too.’

But getting the message out to such a wide audience proved to be difficult. ‘Initially, people didn’t know such a service existed and, of course, it wasn’t until they needed us that they started looking. So after a lot of research we moved away from awareness advertising with flyers, newspapers and radio, and with additional support from all the franchisees we focused upon four key online channels that would reach people at the right time. The results speak for themselves.’

“good fun, good hours, good profits”

Cherry and Garry Le Verne have certainly seen their business take off. The couple opened their Pack & Send outlet in Albany six years ago after experiencing the uncertainties of employment and redundancy. ‘We knew Matthew personally and had heard a lot about Pack & Send, so we decided to take our careers into our own hands,’ says Cherry.

‘Our first two years, like any business, were a bit of a struggle – we knew it was a solid concept, but achieving a national profile was not easy. For a while clients walking in would say, “We’ve never heard of you…” But that changed as the group grew and with the new advertising strategy, we’ve seen a massive 50 percent increase in our sales this year.’

As the Pack & Send business has grown, so franchisees and customers have benefitted from better rates all round. ‘If rates, particularly fuel costs, come down, we make a point of passing savings on,’ explains Cherry. ‘This is one of the reasons we’ve built excellent relations with many business customers who keep coming back to us. And we offer a collection service for clients where there is no alternative risk-free method of despatch, which has seen us travel as far as Whangarei! No two days are the same – there are always new customers and new challenges to meet.

‘I love Pack & Send because, although it’s very profitable, the hours aren’t crazy. Basically it is a Monday to Friday, 8.30 to 5 operation, and we open on Saturday mornings to cater for those customers who really can’t get to us during the week. And we’re a strong network, so franchisees regularly get together to discuss problems and help each other to solve problems and share ideas.

“easy to learn”

Pack & Send now has 14 stores around New Zealand and Matthew says there are at least 10 more opportunities currently available in carefully-targetted locations. The franchise package is $210,000 +gst for a turnkey operation which includes everything from finding premises to initial stock, marketing, fit-out and working capital.

‘You don’t need freight experience – our franchisees include everyone from ex-accountants to landscape gardeners! It’s a relatively easy business to learn in a high growth market, and there’s very little competition.

‘If you enjoy meeting people of all types and providing a much-needed service, and can manage a fast-growing, fast-moving business of  your own, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me today.’