Lancashire online shipping business joins Italian group following acquisition
World Options, the global online shipping line based in Accrington, has been acquired by Italian suitor, MBE Worldwide, for an undisclosed sum.
MBE provides e-commerce, fulfilment, shipping, marketing and print solutions to SMBs (small and mid-sized businesses) and consumers.
In 2021 it served more than one million business customers, generating €1.01bn of system-wide sales, through its 2,900+ service centres in 53 countries, and €24bn of gross merchandise value traded through its PrestaShop e-commerce solutions.
World Options is a tech-enabled shipping service provider, serving more than 10,000 SMBs with all their shipping needs, from small parcels to large freight, both domestically and internationally.
The company operates through a network of more than 120 franchisees and agents throughout the UK, US, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium.
MBE said the acquisition represents another relevant step in its growth, adding a committed network of sales-oriented entrepreneurs and strengthening the company’s position as a global commerce platform for businesses.
Paolo Fiorelli, MBE chairman and CEO, said: “World Options is an excellent strategic addition for MBE because of its entrepreneur-driven, people-centric, customer-first business model, which perfectly fits with MBE business and culture.
“We welcome World Options to the MBE family and we look forward to working together to continue strengthening our integrated platform – both physical and digital – to support our customers’ growth.”
Stewart Butler, CEO and founder of World Options, said: “This is an exciting development for World Options.
“Combining forces with MBE creates unique opportunities to grow our business in new ways to benefit our franchisees and our loyal customers with colleagues similarly steeped in managing a franchise-based network of entrepreneurs.”
World Options’ online system offers customers the chance to send their parcels, packages and documents with the largest carriers in the world and access the lowest courier rates at the same time, along with a range of other unique features that save businesses time and money.
In 2016, the company opened offices in Australia, Belgium, Netherlands and Singapore, before launching its US offices in 2018.
Browne Jacobson provided legal advice to World Options.
