Sales Performance: Printing and Shipping Franchises

More momentum

By Laura Michaels

Even as e-commerce sales slowed slightly in 2021 after the online buying frenzy that was 2020, franchises in the mailing, shipping and packaging segment kept parcels moving. Craters & Freighters, InXpress and The UPS Store combined for $3.8 billion in sales, more than half of total sales for the printing and shipping category that also includes printing, graphics and sign companies. The UPS Store, far and away the largest, grew sales 11.8 percent, to $3.5 billion. The 12 printing, graphics and sign franchises, meanwhile, combined for $3.1 billion in sales. System sales at Fastsigns, the biggest brand in that group, rose 18.9 percent, to $638 million, showing recovery and then some after a dip in 2020. CEO Catherine Monson noted franchisees follow a differentiated model that emphasizes consultation, design, marketing and advertising services for businesses. And, “we have the largest ad fund by far … by 4X,” she said, “building share of mind.”