Aim Mail Centers
AIM Mail Centers, a franchise brand of Annex Brands, Inc., operates nearly 90 independently owned retail locations across 19 states offering multi-carrier shipping, mailbox rentals, and office services to consumers, home-based businesses, and small businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersEdwardsville, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Aim Mail Centers does
AIM Mail Centers is a U.S. retail business services franchise brand that operates nearly 90 storefront locations across 19 states under the parent company Annex Brands, Inc., which was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Each location is independently owned and operated as a franchise and delivers a one-stop shop of shipping, mailing, document, and office services to individual consumers, home-based businesses, and small and medium-sized businesses.
The core technology is a multi-carrier shipping and tracking platform that integrates UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL, enabling franchise locations to offer rate-shopping, professional packing, freight shipping (air, cargo, and road), and parcel tracking from a single point of sale. The product portfolio spans shipping and packing materials, private, business, and virtual mailboxes, package receiving, notary services, passport photos, fingerprinting, printing, copying, fax, shredding, laminating, and other ancillary office services. The franchise operates within a broader Annex Brands portfolio of seven shipping and packaging brands that collectively comprise over 800 locations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The revenue model combines franchise licensing royalties with franchisee-level transactional revenue from shipping service fees, recurring mailbox rental subscriptions, one-time office service fees (notary, printing, fax, shredding), and hardware sales of packing materials. Pricing is set location-by-location by individual franchisees and is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is centered on local franchise-led community engagement, content marketing via the corporate blog, and referral-driven acquisition, with corporate marketing support provided by Annex Brands.
Aim Mail Centers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aim Mail Centers
- Legal name
- Annex Brands, Inc.
- Website
- https://aimmailcenters.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- AIM Mail Centers, a franchise brand of Annex Brands, Inc., operates nearly 90 independently owned retail locations across 19 states offering multi-carrier shipping, mailbox rentals, and office services to consumers, home-based businesses, and small businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aim Mail Centers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Shipping and Business Services
- NAICS
- Private Mail Centers (561431)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Self-Storage Ancillary Services (Locks, Boxes, Truck Rental, Mailbox/Package Acceptance) (HSAKAGAH)
Keywords
Where Aim Mail Centers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edwardsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aim Mail Centers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Franchise Licensing: Revenue generated from licensing and franchising AIM Mail Center locations to independent business owners. Each franchisee pays initial franchise fees and ongoing royalties in exchange for brand rights, operational support, and access to the multi-carrier shipping network.
- Shipping Services: Service fees from shipping packages through UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL. Locations act as shipping intermediaries offering rate comparison and professional packing services.
- Mailbox Rentals: Monthly rental fees for private mailboxes, business mailboxes, and virtual mailbox services.
- Office Services: Various one-time and recurring service fees including notary services, copying, printing, laminating, shredding, passport photos, fingerprinting, and fax services.
- Packing Materials: Sale of packing supplies including boxes, packaging tape, bubble envelopes, foam packaging, and packaging peanuts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Service-based pricing varies by location |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Aim Mail Centers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AIM Mail Centers is a franchise network of neighborhood retail stores that provides multi-carrier shipping (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL), mailbox rentals, professional packing, notary public services, and basic office services such as faxing, copying, and document finishing. The offering targets walk-in residential customers and small-business clients who need convenient, one-stop shipping and mailing solutions in suburban markets.
Product overview
AIM Mail Centers is a franchise network of over 820 retail shipping and business service locations operating under Annex Brands, Inc. The core offering centers on multi-carrier shipping services (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL) with price comparison, complemented by a comprehensive suite of office and business services. The product portfolio includes private and business mailbox rentals (including virtual mailbox), package receiving and storage, notary public, passport photos, fingerprinting, copying and printing, laminating, shredding, fax services, and various other office services. The franchise operates under the Annex Brands family which includes seven brands: PostalAnnex+, Pak Mail, Navis Pack & Ship, Handle With Care Packaging Store, Parcel Plus, Sunshine Pack & Ship, and AIM Mail Centers. Each location is independently owned and operated.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Multi-Carrier Shipping Services
- Mailbox Rental Services
- Professional Packing Services
- Notary Public Services
- Office and Document Services
Companies that use Aim Mail Centers
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aim Mail Centers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Aim Mail Centers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Annex Brands, Inc.primaryAnnex Brands, Inc. is the franchisor of AIM Mail Centers. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Annex Brands has been providing business ownership opportunities since 1985 and licenses over 800 locations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico under brands including PostalAnnex, Pak Mail, AIM Mail Centers, and others.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Aim Mail Centers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The UPS Store: The largest franchise network of shipping, postal, and business services centers in the US, operated as a subsidiary of UPS. It directly competes with AIM Mail Centers across shipping, mailbox rentals, printing, and notary services using the same franchise retail model.
- PostNet: Franchise network of neighborhood shipping, printing, and business services centers competing head-to-head with AIM in many US markets on shipping, mailbox, and document services.
- PostalAnnex+: Sister brand under Annex Brands, Inc. offering the same private-mail-center, multi-carrier shipping, mailbox, and business services product. Directly comparable because it shares the franchisor, technology backbone, and customer proposition.
- Pak Mail: Another sister brand under Annex Brands, acquired in 2016 to grow the network by 82%. Provides pack-and-ship, freight, and mailbox services comparable to AIM's product set, addressing the same small-business and consumer segments.
- Postal Connections: Annex Brands franchise concept offering shipping, mailbox, and business services. Operates the same core retail model as AIM Mail Centers, with overlapping service menus and target customers.
- Parcel Plus: Annex Brands franchise concept focused on packing, shipping, and freight services. Closely comparable to AIM in target customer (small business and consumer) and product mix (multi-carrier shipping and packing).
- Navis Pack & Ship: Annex Brands franchise specializing in custom packing, freight, and specialty shipping of large, fragile, or high-value items. Comparable to AIM's freight and packing offering, though with a heavier freight and B2B orientation.
Broad incumbents
- FedEx Office: Corporate-owned chain of print and ship centers originally launched as Kinko's. It overlaps with AIM in walk-in shipping, packing, and printing, but operates at broader scale and with direct FedEx carrier backing rather than as a multi-carrier franchise.
Emerging players
- iPostal1: Digital-first virtual mailbox and virtual office provider offering real street addresses and mail scanning. Competes with AIM's private and virtual mailbox products via a non-retail, app-driven model that is an emerging substitute for physical mailbox rentals.
- Anytime Mailbox: Online platform aggregating private mailbox locations and offering digital mail management. Operates as a digital alternative to AIM's physical mailbox rental product, targeting the same remote worker and small-business segment with a software-led experience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aim Mail Centers social profiles
Digital presenceAim Mail Centers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aim Mail Centers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Aim Mail Centers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aim Mail Centers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aim Mail Centers
What does Aim Mail Centers do?
AIM Mail Centers is a franchise network of neighborhood retail stores that provides multi-carrier shipping (UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL), mailbox rentals, professional packing, notary public services, and basic office services such as faxing, copying, and document finishing. The offering targets walk-in residential customers and small-business clients who need convenient, one-stop shipping and mailing solutions in suburban markets.
Is Aim Mail Centers a public or private company?
Aim Mail Centers is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Aim Mail Centers founded?
Aim Mail Centers was founded in 1985. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Aim Mail Centers based?
Aim Mail Centers is headquartered in Edwardsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aim Mail Centers make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Franchise Licensing is the primary driver. The others are shipping Services, mailbox Rentals, office Services and packing Materials.
Who are Aim Mail Centers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The UPS Store, PostNet, PostalAnnex+, Pak Mail, Postal Connections, Parcel Plus and Navis Pack & Ship. FedEx Office is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are iPostal1 and Anytime Mailbox.
Does Aim Mail Centers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aim Mail Centers.
What industry is Aim Mail Centers in?
Aim Mail Centers's product category is Retail Shipping and Business Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKAGAH, Self-Storage Ancillary Services (Locks, Boxes, Truck Rental, Mailbox/Package Acceptance). Its NAICS code is 561431 and its SIC code is 7330.