the licence overview

running our south of england mail centre

the mail centre premises

its size,  postal location,  address & infrastructure

Because it is fundamental to the operation of the business,  in order to be considered for the Licence you must own the property from which you intend to run the Mail Centre,  or be able to demonstrate that you have security of tenure for ten years.   It must also have its own street level point of postal delivery  ( a front door and letterbox! )  and cannot be part of a multi-occupancy building.

It is for these reasons that,  even if you are only just considering the possibility of taking up this business opportunity,  your first step should be to check the suitability of your proposed Mail Centre address by submitting a Premises Assessment request.   Please note that no obligation is inferred by submitting this form!

( you will find the premises assessment form at the foot of the licence application page )

your postal address

The primary feature of any regional Mail Centre is its postal address.   Designed to be operated from home,  or a small commercial or retail premises,  it's surprisingly simple to adapt any address to make it appropriate for both business and private users.

vehicular access

In addition to normal Royal Mail deliveries,  you can expect several courier drop-offs and collections each day as your business matures.   It is important that delivery vehicles are able to reach the premises,  and not prevented from loading or unloading due to parking restrictions or regular congestion.

working space requirement

Even for a large territory such as the South of England,  including provision for the bespoke modular frames that are used to sort and store your customers' mail,  the Mail Centre could be operated in one room of around  220ft²  ( about the size of a double bedroom or garage ).   Additional storage space will,  however,  almost certainly prove to be an advantage in securing larger commercial accounts.

communications

Because ProPost™ is hosted on our secure cloud servers and accessed via the internet,  reliable broadband with transfer speeds of at least 2Mbps is essential.   You will also need a landline telephone and a mobile as an alternative means of contact.

( if you have any questions,  call us for an informal chat, at local rates,  on 0333 789 0011 )

our territories

Click the postal address examples below to visit each Mail Centre's portal website

Unlike a traditional Franchise,  our Licensed 'territories' are determined by the proximity of a Mail Centre to others in the network,  rather than the geographical location of its customers,  who will be from all corners of the planet!   To protect your business' potential,  we are only issuing ten Licences on the UK mainland  ( as shown on the map above ),  so you will never find another Mail Centre opening in direct competition to you.

The protected territory for our Mail Centre South is defined by the postcode areas of;
RG,  SO,  GU,  PO,  RH,  BN,  TN,  ME & CT
 

the licence owner

what you bring to the partnership

skills & experience

Although no special skills or previous experience in the logistics sector is required,  a basic working knowledge of PCs  ( using a browser,  email etc. )  and a general familiarity with the internet is essential.   However,  the character traits we value most in any prospective licensee are;   attention to detail,  enthusiasm,  diligence,  attention to detail,  self-discipline,  attention to detail and the ability to manage their time and effort effectively.   Did we mention attention to detail?

physical abilities

We have specifically designed the hardware and operation for expost Mail Centres so that the opportunity is open to all age groups,  people with limited mobility  ( including wheelchair users )  and those with a hearing impairment.   Unfortunately,  the need to read addresses on incoming mail may preclude candidates with limited vision,  depending upon the nature and severity of their condition.

( details of the full package can be found in licence package )

dbs checks

We are charged with the security of the mail,  so we require all candidates to give us permission to request a simple DBS  ( formerly known as a CRB )  check.   If the licence is to be held by a Company,  we will need this permission for all Directors and Beneficial Owners.

trading status & vat

The successful candidate may hold the licence and operate the business as a sole trader,  partnership or Limited Company.

It is not necessary to register for VAT until,  of course,  your turnover exceeds the mandatory threshold,  currently standing at £85,000.   Premature registration will negatively impact profitability!

( if in doubt,  call our licence team on  0333 789 0011 or email  licences@expost.uk  for their advice )

dedicating the time

how many hours you'll need to commit

Because all sales,  marketing and support effort is entirely borne by our head office team at Philbeach,  the time that you will need to devote to operating a regional Mail Centre,  even in such a prime location as the South of England,  is surprisingly little.

receiving mail

In most areas of the UK,  Royal Mail deliver before noon,  Monday to Saturday.   Courier deliveries,  however,  can arrive at any time of the day,  often as late as 7pm.   This needn't cause a problem because,  within the licence package,  we provide a steel parcel locker that is almost universally considered by couriers as a 'safe place' in which to leave deliveries,  especially out of hours.

mail processing

Because we log-in and despatch mail the day after it is delivered to the Centre,  your schedule will be determined by the time of the last Royal Mail collection at your local Post Office,  usually around 5pm,  and means that mail processing could be comfortably managed in the afternoons.

As a rule of thumb,  you will need to dedicate one hour each weekday for every 50 accounts held at your Centre.