Dive Brief:
- Shipping service Pak Mail has opened a location inside a convenience store in Springfield, Massachusetts, franchisor Annex Brands announced on Wednesday.
- Located inside a Shamrock Market-branded c-store, the new Pak Mail Express offers shipping via UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service; shipping services like expert packing and personal mailbox rentals; and copying, printing and packaging supplies sales, per the announcement.
- This marks the first Pak Mail location inside a convenience store, Shamrock Market owner Prince Patel told C-Store Dive. An Annex Brands spokesperson did not respond by press time when asked to confirm that.
Dive Insight:
Patel, who owns one convenience store, said the Pak Mail officially opened about three months ago. The shipping service adds another amenity to the Springfield Shamrock Market, which also features a Chester’s Chicken QSR, according to Patel and the restaurant chain’s website.
Adding shipping and other business services reflects a broader push by convenience retailers to offer nontraditional amenities that can give customers more reasons to spend time in stores. Annex Brands said in the announcement that the new Pak Mail location is intended to “provide more service to more people in more places.”
"Pak Mail Express locations are an excellent opportunity to complement existing markets, providing indispensable services to local businesses and residents,” Patrick Edd, CEO and president of Annex Brands, said in the announcement.
While Patel owns the Shamrock Market, the Pak Mail operation is run by franchisee Rohit Teji, according to Patel and the announcement. Teji said he saw an opportunity for the shipping service because there were no other convenient postal service options in the area.
“Our current business does payroll checks, check cashing, and we have a chicken restaurant attached,” Teji said in the announcement. “A pack and ship business made the most sense to add on.”
