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The UPS Store knows its most valuable assets are its franchisees. So the company’s latest effort has been helping those franchisees to help each other. 

In 2025, a new internal webcast was launched to support peer-to-peer learning among franchisees, specifically to share operational best practices around the franchise’s new tech tools. 

“These are virtual networking sessions that are created by franchisees, for franchisees,” says Sarah Casalan, president of The UPS Store. “This idea exchange lets us come together with quick, actionable insights from experienced franchisees, and helps them all learn from each other. That all ladders up to driving growth.” 

Casalan says the company is still riding the tailwinds of the pandemic delivery boom, and is seeing five times the package volume it had in 2019. So now, growth for The UPS Store — which has spent 10 years in the Franchise 500 Top 10 — is really just about finding better, smarter ways to prepare and serve its customer base. An ongoing rollout of a store redesign is on track to hit 50% of all stores this year, featuring a more open layout that helps franchisees absorb a higher volume of packages and supports technology utilization while creating an elevated customer experience. 

Related: An ’80s-Era Policy Was Holding The UPS Store Back. Here’s How Its President Discovered the Problem — and Changed It.

And for The UPS Store’s primary customer base of small business owners, the service the company provides is more vital and scrutinized than ever. After a year of aggressive and fast-changing tariffs, business owners are seeking reliability. 

“These are business owners in the same communities where our franchisees live, work, and play, and we know they’ve been under pressure; we hear that from them,” Casalan says. “The more challenging business is for them, the more important it is that we’re executing at the highest level.” 

To do that, continuing to capture and build upon institutional knowledge is a priority. About a third of UPS Store franchisees own multiple locations, and the company is focused on growing that number. It seems to be working, as applications to become a multi-center owner are at a record-breaking level, according to Casalan. 

“It’s a really positive indicator to us,” she says. “We’re here to create value for our customers and our franchisees, so we’re making sure that every owner who is expanding their footprint is aligned with our commitment to the customer experience and to innovating around new products.” 

Related: These Two Factors Are Leading the UPS Store’s Rapid Expansion

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