Business News

Valpak Announces New Franchisee In Shenandoah Valley

Friday 01. March 2013 - First Time Entrepreneur Brings the Blue Envelope Back to Local Community

Valpak, a leader in local print and digital coupons, announced today that it has signed a franchise agreement with Elizabeth Hui, a first-time franchise entrepreneur, to bring the Blue Envelope() back to residents in Shenandoah Valley, Va. Valpak had previously mailed to residents in the area, but has been dormant since 2011. The first Blue Envelope will be mailed to residents in Rockingham, Augusta, and Page counties, which include the cities of Staunton and Harrisonburg, beginning March 2013.
“I am elated to have the opportunity to bring Valpak back into Shenandoah Valley,” said Elizabeth, Valpak of Shenandoah Valley franchisee. “We are truly providing a beneficial, money-saving service to residents in the community, as well as helping local business owners reach more potential customers in the most cost effective manner.”
Elizabeth was first introduced to Valpak as a young child, recalling that she remembered her mother eagerly shuffling through Blue Envelope coupons each month at the kitchen table. Through her merchant services career, Elizabeth realized that the Valpak of Shenandoah Valley was dormant, so she researched the franchise and decided to bring it back to both businesses and residents in the community.
“As we continue to grow throughout the United States, it is important to add young passionate, first-time entrepreneurs to our team,” said Todd Leiser, director of franchise sales at Valpak. “Elizabeth’s previous merchant services experience coupled with her drive to succeed make her an excellent franchise partner, and we are thrilled to bring our Blue Envelope back to Shenandoah Valley.”
A leader in cooperative direct mail, Valpak mails over 20 billion coupons to more than 40 million demographically-targeted households per month in more than 100 markets in 48 states and four Canadian provinces. Today, in addition to its flagship Blue Envelope, the brand offers its business customers an impressive portfolio of digital advertising products including Smartphone apps, which are also integrated into the new Passbook and Windows Phone Wallet, QR codes, online coupons and SMS/text messaging to reach consumers at home and on-the-go.
Ideal candidates for Valpak franchise ownership should possess a desire to join a trusted industry-leading brand, work within a proven franchise system, develop relationships with local businesses and have a comfort level with selling new, digital technologies. Franchisees should also possess a minimum liquidity of $75,000 and a minimum net worth of $150,000.
Valpak franchisees benefit from extensive training and support including more than 300 hours of classroom, in-field and online training. Additionally, the Valpak peer mentoring program pairs tenured Valpak franchisees with new franchisees for a two-year period. Valpak also handles all of the coupon design, printing, collation and postal logistics for its franchisees, allowing them to concentrate on selling branded direct marketing campaigns to customers within their exclusive territory.
Since its launch in 1968, The Blue Envelope has been broadly recognized and trusted, which has contributed significantly to Valpak’s current success. Valpak’s state-of-the-art, 470,000-square-foot manufacturing center in St. Petersburg, Fla., makes it possible for the company to mail to more than 500 million homes in North America. Valpak is also backed by experienced leadership with Cox Enterprises, one of the largest media companies in North America, which acquired the brand in 1991. Recently, Cox Target Media also acquired Savings.com, a leading online source for savings and personalized deals. Working together, Valpak and Savings.com will offer consumers a more extensive selection of offers and rewarding shopping experience as content is shared across platforms.