Spurred by Economic Rebound, Unishippers Has a Year for the Books in 2014

In response to a healthy economic climate and continued increase in consumer confidence, businesses that rely on shipping are helping organizations like Unishippers Global Logistics,LLC, the nation’s first and one of the largest shipping resellers, continue to thrive.

Unishippers closed out 2014 having sold a total of 23 franchises to new owners, with four of those being National franchises – a type of franchise that operates without geographical borders. This figure outpaces the 19 franchises sold to new owners in 2013. Unishippers projects selling 25 franchises to new owners in 2015.

“The National franchise option has helped Unishippers expand sales to new owners and increased the opportunities for our franchisees to compete and grow,” said Kevin Lathrop, President of Unishippers. “Overall, we saw great collaboration this year between our corporate team and franchise system. We’re excited for new areas of innovation that promise 2015 will result in continued growth.”

In the first and second quarter of 2014, Unishippers announced record-breaking revenue and finished the year with a 13 percent increase in total revenue over 2013 to end the year at $420 million in total revenue. This included a revenue increase of 13 percent for the UPS® small package business, as well as a revenue increase of 20 percent in full truckload product and 12 percent in overall freight over 2013.

In addition, the unveiling of the new subsidiary, Launch Logistics, LLC, created 20 new jobs in Salt Lake City throughout 2014 and the company anticipates hiring an additional 30 employees, both sales and customer service, to bring the total to 50 in the first half of 2015. Launch Logistics is intended to operate alongside its accelerating franchise network, rapidly expanding the company’s salesforce and customer service expertise, prompting further growth and hands-on learning that will benefit the entire franchise system.

“Launch Logistics has been game-changing for our franchise system as we pass on first effect process improvements and increase our sales force exponentially,” said Joe Curtis, President of Launch Logistics. “Our focus heading into the New Year will continue to be on process improvement and salesforce increases that drive growth within the Unishippers franchise system.”

Among its many accolades in 2014, Unishippers received its sixth consecutive ranking in the Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise 500 list, was named one of the top companies to work for in Utah by the Deseret News and was designated for the fifth year as a “Top 25” brokerage firm by Transport Topics.

For more information on Unishippers, visit http://www.unishippers.com. For information on Unishippers franchise opportunities, visit https://www.unishippers.com/content/franchising/.

About Unishippers

Founded in 1987, Unishippers has grown to be one of the largest reseller of shipping services in the nation with more than 290 franchise locations. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, the Unishippers concept is simple – work with major carriers including UPS®, Saia®, Estes, YRC Freight and UPS Freight® to handle the pickup, transport and delivery of customers’ shipments. All the while, franchisees work to provide customers with service and support. By leveraging the combined shipping volume of all its customers, Unishippers gets deeply discounted rates from its carriers, resulting in lower shipping costs. Unishippers serves more than 50,000 small to mid-sized businesses, and has been recognized as a top freight broker by Transport Topics and a top franchise by Entrepreneur, Franchise Times and the Inc. 5000. For information on Unishippers, including information on franchising opportunities and price quotes, visit www.unishippers.com.