What is a Mailbox? And how Might our Newest Business Partner Help your Jewellery Business?
An introduction to Mail Boxes, Etc. - here to assist our members with your jewellery businesses
The Hatton Garden branch of Mail Boxes, Etc. is located on Clerkenwell Road and is part of the Hatton Garden Business Improvement District (BID).
Duncan Hypher, their Business Development Manager, joined us at our From Inspiration to Innovation panel and networking event in Hatton Garden in September, which was organized in collaboration with the Hatton Garden BID and London Design Festival.
“Congratulations to Kassandra and others that have driven the great work of The Jewellery Collective,” he said. “It was a super event and what you are doing is inspirational.”
Having connected with Duncan at the event, we are now delighted to welcome the Hatton Garden branch of Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) as our latest business partner, supporting the prosperity and growth of our members’ jewellery businesses. They’re offering The Jewellery Collective’s members exclusive offers and discounts on their services with the use of discount codes disclosed via our private members-only Discord channel.
But what does MBE actually do? Duncan has very kindly offered an introduction to their services and how they might be of use to you as a member of the jewellery industry.
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Who is MBE?
“The name ‘Mail Boxes, Etc.’ can be a challenge, because unless people have used us, they often don’t understand exactly what we do. Our name derives from the business’s US roots as a mailing address provider in the 1980s, before evolving into its offering of shipping and other business support services. Fast-forward to 2024 and MBE is part of a global network of 3,200 mainly franchised business service centres, with our head office in Milan, Italy.”
What can MBE do for me?
“There are three key areas of MBE’s offering that are a great fit for The Jewellery Collective members,” Duncan tells us.
1) High value & fragile shipping services with ‘CoverProtect’
“Our expertise has been built up over 20+ years of providing services for customers purchasing fine art and collectables from UK-based auction houses. This is so much more than just shipping. For example, a customer in the USA that purchases a £10K fragile vase from a London auction house, needs it to be:
● Collected from the auction house
● Professionally packed - including crating were appropriate
● Shipped globally
● Enhanced Cover to the £ value of the item
“The auction sector made us experts in packing all manner of fragile items, from glazed paintings to Tang horses! This expertise is of course a great fit for members of the jewellery industry, working with precious materials and finished pieces of jewellery. At a local level, we already help a number of Hatton Garden and Cockpit Arts businesses in the transportation sides of their businesses. MBE UK’s ‘CoverProtect’ enables us to offer cover of up to £25K value per shipment, for total peace of mind.
“As a ‘multi carrier’ solution, we work with most of the big names, including UPS, FedEx and DHL. With our expertise we can select the right carrier for each shipment, based on factors such as destination, urgency, size and cost.
“No one loves to pay for shipping! A number of galleries that we work with sell one-off high value pieces. They refer the customer to us directly to arrange shipping. This approach extracts them from ‘the shipping conversation’ and any shipping price resistance, tracking requests and customs issues, leaving them to focus on their collections and us to handle the logistics.”
2) Mailbox Services
“Unless people have used our services, the first question is usually: ‘What is a mailbox?’ To provide some context, our business mailbox provides a professional business mailing address that can be used both digitally and physically, such as:
ABC Jewellery Design, Suite XYZ,
101 Clerkenwell Road
Hatton Garden
London
EC1R 5BX
This service works great for start-ups as they grow, maintaining one consistent address even whilst they pass through a number of short-term premises or work from home. As well as managing the receipt of any mail, some small- and medium-sized businesses will use their mailbox address as a returns address.
Additionally, as you develop from sole trader to Limited Company status, a business mailbox address can be used as your company’s Registered Office address on Companies House, keeping your home address private.
In summary, it’s not just about mail; it’s a complete ‘Virtual Office’ address service, including receipt of mail and packages.”
3) Printing Services
“We are as big into print as we are into shipping, from presentations to brochures, business cards, branded gifts and beyond. We have our own print hub in London, an in-house graphic design team and a national hub for large runs.”
“Our expertise and specialist solutions for fragile and high-value shipping, together with our suite of solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses, make MBE Hatton Garden a great fit for The Jewellery Collective members. We look forward to taking care of your business support, freeing your time up to create beautiful pieces, and grow your business.”
Membership to The Jewellery Collective starts at just £99 per year (0r 27p per day) and entails a range of benefits - from free access to our online masterclasses to discounted tickets to in-person events, free peer mentoring and exclusive discounts on MBE services, training courses and more. To learn more about joining our strong, diverse community, please get in touch - we’re only an email away.
MBE Hatton Garden contact details
020 7831 8080
info@mbeclerkenwell.co.uk
https://www.mbe.co.uk/hattongarden/contact-us