Signs Express

Joe Smith opened the doors of his custom designed sign making centre back in June 2006 at the age of 29.  Since then he has become a family man supporting his wife and son as well as continuing to run his successful Signs Express centre based on the Saxon Business Park, Bromsgrove.
 
1. What did you do prior to becoming a Signs Express franchisee?
After leaving school I worked in many sectors including hospitality, distribution, the motor trade and building.  I then worked for several years as an Account Manager for an Advertising Agency which lead into working as a Graphic Designer. I grew up in the sign industry as my father has worked in automotive corporate identity for 40 years this background allied with the various industry skills learned have paved the way to the sign industry for me.
 
2. What made you decide to buy a franchise?
When I decided to start up my own business I was only 28, I had some business skills already but knew that I could benefit from the expertise available from a support network.  It’s always daunting to set up something new but after I had been to a couple of the franchise shows I decided that franchising was the best option for me.  Franchising gave me the comfort of knowing that help and expertise were on hand in all areas of the business from operations to HR, marketing, accounts and technical support.
 
3. What have been your biggest rewards from having your own business?
My biggest rewards are being my own boss, and having the flexibility and time to spend with my family.  The signage industry is always progressing and helps to keep the work varied which keeps the job interesting.
 
4. What has been your biggest order to date?
We recently had a school new build which was a £40k job; school signage is one of the areas we specialise in.
 
5. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?
Happy and successful.

“It’s always daunting to set up something new but after I had been to a couple of the franchise shows I decided that franchising was the best option for me. Franchising gave me the comfort of knowing that help and expertise were on hand in all areas of the business from operations to HR, marketing, accounts and technical support.” - Joe Smith, Franchisee, Signs Express (Birmingham SW)

 

*********************************************

 

Originally opened in 2004, John has been centre owner since 2007 and now employs seven staff from his 2200 sq ft unit based on Avonbank Industrial Estate.
 
1. What did you do prior to becoming a Signs Express franchisee?
Product manager for Capita – I was responsible for the design and development of a large computer application sold to local government. This involved managing teams in Asia and India so I travelled a lot!

2. What made you decide to buy an existing franchise?
I bought into Bristol as an area. Bristol is the tenth largest local economy in Britain and yet the Bristol branch was no where near as successful as branches in much smaller towns – there was and still is loads of scope to grow here.
The brand also attracts regular national work which more than pays for the fees; only this morning I have been asked by a Belfast-based company to quote on a large re-branding in Bristol. They were upfront that they need great service at a reasonable price and were confident from past dealings that this is what they would get from Signs Express.

3. How has your own business progressed or expanded since you launched?
We enjoyed fairly quick success and were 250% bigger than when we bought into Bristol. The recession has slowed all that down, but I can really feel our reputation growing locally and I think 2012 will be another year of solid progress.

4. What has been your biggest order to date or who has been your biggest customer?
We have had two orders of over £50k each. We work for a brace of large household brands but are bound by confidentiality agreements to not say who!

5. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?
That’s interesting because if you had asked me three years ago I would have said looking to retire. It’s a long way out and things may change, but I will probably be a Signs Express franchisee albeit with one of my staff running the centre on a daily basis.

“Signs Express is a perfect example of all that is good about franchising: they are board members of the British Franchise Association (BFA) and look to take a supportive rather than dictatorial stance with their franchisees, which was important to me.” -  John Miller-Wilson, Franchisee, Signs Express (Bristol)

 

 ********************************************************

 

Originally opened in 1998, Malcolm has been centre owner since 2005 and now employs six staff from his 3448 sq ft unit based in Gateshead.
 
1. What did you do prior to becoming a Signs Express franchisee?
I worked in the sign industry straight from school at 16.

2. How has your own business progressed or expanded since you launched?
We’ve doubled our turnover from £240k to £500K and we’re still seeing steady growth which is very positive. We’ve also expanded our unit by buying the unit next door which has meant increasing our centre from 1724 sq ft to 3448 sq ft. The extra space has given us the opportunity to broaden our production capabilities and tender for much larger projects.

3. What made you decide to buy an existing franchise?
Having worked in the sign trade since leaving school I could have started a sign company from scratch but the risks involved out weighed the positives of buying a ready-made business. The idea of having loads of shiny new machines and no work was a concern so I looked at two other local sign companies that were for sale at the time, but the added bonus of taking on a franchise with additional support came out as the winner.

4. What has been your biggest order to date?
The biggest so far has been for Gateshead College’s new Baltic Campus and other campuses when they opened. The overall order in the end was in excess of £100k.

5. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully we’ll be in a very comfortable financial position. The plan is, or should I say I am hopeful that my children will want to work for the business and eventually take over from me.

“We’ve doubled our turnover from £240k to £500K and we’re still seeing steady growth.” - Malcolm Lant, Franchisee, Signs Express (Gateshead)

 

***********************************************

 

Franchisee Nick Baxter-Sibley (Exeter)

Originally opened in 1995 husband and wife team Nick and Marion Baxter-Sibley now employ ten staff at their 2000 sq ft unit based on Waterbridge Court on Matford Park Road.

1. What did you do prior to becoming a Signs Express franchisee?
Worked as an IT project manager.

2. Why did you choose franchising?
Franchising was a route into starting a business in a market sector where I had no prior experience but where I could adjust my skill set to fit with the business structure; the benefits of being part of a larger group was also a key element I took into consideration along with the much lower failure rate as a franchised start-up businesses. Statistics spoke for themselves as approximately third of new businesses fail within three years, but only 10% of franchises do. Franchising was therefore a lower risk.

3. What made you decide to buy a new Signs Express business?
Starting a business from scratch really gave us a sense of achievement. However, when we started there wasn’t as much scope for buying an already established franchise and we wanted to keep within our local area.

4. What would you say have been the ultimate rewards?
There are a number of rewards from being your own boss, but namely the gratification of building the business; having control over mine and Marion’s destiny; flexibility of our own working arrangements; being involved in actually making something and also the satisfaction of seeing completed work all around the area.

5. How has your own business progressed or expanded since you launched?
We initially employed 2 people – myself and one sign maker - but as the business has grown we have gradually taken on more staff and now employ 10 people, however we still have plans to increase on this. We also bought our own premises as part of the growth process and now occupy a unit on a modern business park in Exeter.

“Starting in business from scratch really gave us a sense of achievement. When we started looking there wasn’t as much scope for buying an already established franchise so we were lucky that our local area was still available. It was ideal and fitted well with our requirements.” - Nick Baxter-Sibley, Franchisee, Signs Express (Exeter)
 

 

 

Signs Express – Warwick

Signs Express is the UK’s leading signage company with over 75 franchised outlets throughout the country. Established over 20 years ago it has grown into a premier franchise opportunity delivering high quality bespoke products to the business community. Each Signs Express branch has its own custom-designed drive-in bay for the application of top-quality vehicle graphics - a field in which the company is the market leader. Signs Express is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of its customers. Enjoying a national reputation for providing quality products and supreme customer service, Signs Express combines total coverage with local knowledge to offer its clients the most effective sign solutions.


This business has been developed over the last 8 years by the current owner who has increased sales by a factor of 2.5 in that time. A very real opportunity exists to capitalise on the very strong local reputation that the business has and the core of loyal customers to drive it forward and significantly increase the sales and returns.  

The business currently employs 4 competent and fully trained full time staff. The current owner has invested in up to date equipment and in an active marketing campaign including optimisation of online search engines etc. Operating from leasehold premises the premises provide a generous 1400 square feet of combined office and workspace in an excellent location close to the M40 and A46.

The business is now being offered for sale at an asking price of £99,950, plus stock at valuation and work in progress.  A full prospectus for this opportunity is available following the signing of a non-disclosure agreement.  Please provide your details on the adjacent form and we will contact you.

_______________________________________________________________________

Business for sale in Cambridgeshire (circa £270K)

Based in the Cambridgeshire area this established business is currently for sale. The premises have recently been extended to include a dedicated print shop, design studio, showroom and offices.

The current owner is now looking to move out of the area therefore paving the way for a new franchisee to run the unit and manage the team of experienced staff.

Fill out an enquiry form to request more information


Business for sale in South London (circa £70K)

Based in South London, this business has been operational since 1996 and continues to operate well.

The current owner is now looking to retire therefore paving the way for a new franchisee to run the unit and manage the team of experienced staff. With such an excellent reputation the centre receives much repeat business within its area.

Fill out an enquiry form to request more information


Business for sale in Midlands (circa £100K)

Established for 10 years, this successful franchise has continued to generate steady growth year-on year with new and repeat business in its local area. As a fully functioning centre, everything is already in place to take a smaller business to a higher level.

This includes a fully fitted out production centre, a team of trained and experienced staff and a solid customer base. With such an excellent reputation the centre receives much repeat business along with access to ‘Signs Express’ national clients.

Fill out an enquiry form to request more information