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

Signs Express has a business for sale in South London which has been successfully operating for 15 years – 8 in the current ownership.  The owner is now looking to retire therefore paving the way for a new franchisee to take the reigns. 

With an excellent reputation amongst its wide customer base, the centre receives a high volume of repeat business.  Clients range from SME’s to the public sector as well as professional businesses.  As a fully functioning centre, all the elements are in place to take the business to the next level.
The benefits of investing in this business include:

• A customer base of 15 years with quality clients who give much repeat business.
• Experienced staff.
• Fully fitted production unit including wide format digital printer, vinyl cutting plotter, computer systems & software, company van, phone system, fixtures and fittings.
• Take advantage of the UK’s most well established sign and graphics brand, great marketing materials and a website that produces 1000’s of sales enquiries for the network.
• An initial 4 week training programme at our HQ in Norwich, plus on-going support in all aspects of the business: Technical, Operations, Sales & Marketing, IT/HR, National Accounts.

This franchise opportunity is perfect for someone who has management and / or sales experience and has the drive and determination to develop the business further. Note: candidates do not need previous sign experience.

At an investment level equivalent to starting a new Signs Express business from scratch this business is being offered for a quick sale at a reduced asking price of £70,000 excluding stock and pre-payments. To learn more please request our franchise prospectus and complete the enclosed application form.

Please call 0800 731 2255 for further information about this business

Futures bright for family business

Dave Nurse is one of only a few franchisees to have a sign industry background to join the UK’s largest and most successful signs & graphics franchise. It’s a real family affair with wife Kim and son Rick working in key roles in the business.

What bought you into franchising?

Before joining Signs Express I had a career as a sign making materials supplier, I have always wanted to have a business that all the family could be involved in and looked at franchising as a way to achieve this.  Having dealt with some of the Signs Express centres in the past I was impressed with the running of their operation and, after visiting the Franchise Head Quarters and meeting the staff, I knew it would be right for my family and I.  As most franchisees don’t have industry experience when they start out, I knew comprehensive training and support would be available for my wife and son to help them understand the industry.

What are the benefits of running a business with your family?

Its very rewarding working with your family, it’s not always easy but you can achieve a great level of satisfaction from it.  We have always wanted to buy a business where we could combine all of our skills and make it successful and have found owning a franchise together makes this achievable. Plus I find it helps to keep us all motivated knowing that we are all working towards the same goal.

What do you consider to be career highlights?

Last month we attended the Sign and Digital UK Awards and picked up two awards. Being recognised as undertaking the best projects across the industry is a fantastic achievement. We have also been named twice in Signs Express own awards as Franchisee of the year. It’s great to see that hard work and great service doesn’t go unnoticed. 

CASE STUDY - Mark Kendall Signs Express Southampton

Signs Express is the UK and Ireland’s leading signs and graphics franchise, established over 20 years ago with a network of more than 75 franchisees.  In this series of special features we introduce some of the inspiring personalities behind the brand.

Mark Kendall took over Signs Express Southampton as a franchise resale, for a career change.  In two years he has almost doubled the turnover of the centre.  We caught up with Mark to find out what inspired him to become a Signs Express franchisee and unearth his tips for running a successful business.

“For 28 years I worked in aluminium stockholding; completely different to the world of signs and graphics that is my passion now.  However working for myself had always been a personal goal” explains Mark.

“I relocated from Bristol to Southampton almost 30 years ago, aged 21, for a sales job in a small organisation, then went on to became a shareholder of a larger company.  When that relationship ended I set up an aluminium stockholding business of my own.  In 2007 that business was sold as a Management Buy Out.” 

So what motivated Mark to change career?  “Selling my aluminium stockholding business was the catalyst for my career change.  I had acquired a range of transferrable skills, like sales, marketing, people management, IT and so on; and my network of professional contacts in Southampton was really strong.  I wanted a new challenge but still wanted to be my own boss. 

What appealed to Mark about franchising? “I had never really considered franchising as I didn’t know much about it, so went along to a franchise show to learn more.   It was there I heard that the Signs Express franchisee in Southampton was looking to emigrate and so the business was for sale.  As we talked, the possibilities of the signs industry became clear to me.  I realised that my breadth of contacts were a ready-made potential client base.  People from all walks of life need signs.  By applying the same skills, I could sell signs in the same way that I had previously sold metal.  

 

Mark explains how changing industries has worked for him: “My proven business management, sales and team leadership skills have laid the foundations for building a successful Signs Express centre; the team around me are the technical experts on the production side of things.  Being part of a franchise provides peace of mind as support is always available on all aspects of running a business.  As well as head office, the network of more than 75 franchisees provides plenty of first-hand experience to draw on.”      

“In my view, the two most important skills for a franchisee to possess are, 1) being prepared to get in front of people to talk about your business and, 2) being good with people.  My advice is, listen to people, let people manage themselves, make people feel important, and be reliable – direct these principles to both your customers and people within your team.” 

So what are Mark’s goals for the future?  “I am proud to have doubled the turnover of this centre within two years of having taken it on; though increasing business and becoming more profitable is always going to be a goal.   I think Signs Express Southampton has built a reputation for excellence and quality.  In ten years time I’d like to be in new larger premises, have a bigger team and see people around me who have helped build this business up taking on more prominent roles.”

To find out about Signs Express franchise opportunities call 0800 731 2255 or visit http://franchise.signsexpress.co.uk/

Falkirk Franchisee success for Scottish Franchise Week

A strong brand and support from a dedicated team at franchise headquarters were the main attractions to Steve McMurray – one of the few franchisees with a sign making background to join the UK’s leading sign franchise Signs Express. 

A chance meeting with an old colleague at a franchise exhibition lead to Steve hearing about a resale in his area, with Steve taking on the Signs Express business in Falkirk in 2005.

After restructuring the business, Steve has been able to more than triple turnover, turning the business into one of the largest sign companies in the area and becoming one of the most successful Signs Express franchisees in the network. By keeping control of his costs he has also achieved excellent profit margins enabling reinvestment into the business; ensuring he has the latest technology in house to meet his customers exacting demands.  

Such is his achievement; Steve McMurray was named a finalist in the British Franchise Association Franchisee of the Year awards in 2010 and has three times been recognised in the Signs Express franchise awards held biennially during the Signs Express convention. In his latest accolade, the business was short listed for Sign Business of the Year at the Sign & Digital UK awards 2012.

Steve McMurray said, “When I first took over the business it was underperforming and had poor brand presence but I could see the potential. We’ve worked really hard to build our reputation in the Falkirk area which has resulted in around 80% of our business coming from repeat orders due to our customer relations.”

Through his strong belief in customer service, great attention to detail and his exemplary management skills, Steve and his team have been commissioned to work on many of the largest projects in the region.

Steve continued, “I could see many benefits of being part of a franchise rather than starting up my own business, even though I had already worked in the sign industry. Being part of a network of established sign businesses means we can gain many competitive advantages over our local counterparts and with the back up and support from the dedicated team at franchise headquarters help is always just a phone call away.”

As a management franchise with full training and support provided in all areas of the business, Signs Express franchisees do not need experience in the sign industry and come from all walks of life from the military, IT, local government, manufacturing and retail to name just a few.

Signs Express shortlisted for EWIF Awards

Anne Hitch, Signs Express franchisee for the Peterborough area, has been shortlisted for the Encouraging Women in Franchising (EWIF) Franchisee of the Year Award.

The Encouraging Women in Franchising (EWIF) Association has been established since 2009 and are dedicated to encouraging women into franchising.  The EWIF’s members come from all areas within the franchising industry and they offer a range of free services to help women who are considering becoming franchisees as well as women business owners looking to franchise their business.

Anne Hitch will go head to head against four others nominated for the EWIF Franchisee of the Year Award.  Commenting on her nomination, Anne Hitch, Franchisee, Signs Express Peterborough said; “I’m delighted to be through as a finalist for such a prestigious award, it’s great to see that women in franchising doesn’t go unnoticed.  I have built a very successful business, providing high quality products and exceptional customer service.”

Craig Brown, Managing Director at Signs Express commented; “Anne is a real credit to the Signs Express network.  She is focused on customer service and by developing strong relationships with her staff, suppliers and customers; Anne has been able to take the business to new heights.”

Signs Express is a signs and graphics provider established over 20 years ago and with over 75 franchisees across the UK and Ireland.  Since Anne Hitch joined Signs Express she has substantially grown her business to become one of the most successful franchisees in the network.

Signs Express Peterborough are based on the Saracen Business Park, Peterborough and work with a variety of companies in the area.  They provide a complete design, manufacture and fitting service for all forms of signage and offer a complete signage solution from interior and exterior signs to vehicle graphics, banners, window displays and display products.

A day at the Excel Franchise Show

Hayley Forder, Marketing Executive at Signs Express HQ in Norwich, reveals her day at the Franchise Exhibition, London Excel.

6am

I like to get up early and begin my day with a workout followed by a gentle swim to prepare myself for a busy day exhibiting.

8.30am

Time for breakfast with my colleague’s, decided to have a healthy option of scrambled eggs on toast with a side order of fruit.

9.30am

So its time to head towards to the Excel show, luckily we got here yesterday and set up the stand so it’s a nice gentle walk to the exhibition hall.

10am

The grand opening begins, and I can see more and more ambitious entrepreneurs walking through the door excited at the opportunities open to them.

11am – 2pm

So far it has been an extremely busy day; it’s been great to listen to what people want out of a business.  From what I have seen today it seems like a majority of people all want to have a change in lifestyle from their franchise, this is very refreshing to know its not all about the money side of things. 

2.15pm

My Director Tony March has just got back to the stand after giving an inspirational talk at one of the seminars, it appears to have gone rather well!

3 – 5pm

I have had some really good chats with prospective franchisees, talking about how our franchise covers a wide variety of sectors which seems to be really attractive especially being a B2B franchise.  Some of the people that are visiting the show have never visited one before so it’s a great opportunity for them to see what  ourselves and other franchisors have to offer.

6pm

Wow!  What a day, we have given away lots of our literature and have met some great prospective franchisees!  Looking forward to catching up with them at one of our free open days.

7pm

Time for a quick swim to help my tired aching feet!

8.30pm

Were heading off to a lovely Thai restaurant just overlooking the Royal Docklands, its been great to relax and unwind with my colleagues and talk about all the interesting people that we have met during the show.

11pm

Well it’s been a long day and I'm finally in my bed ready for the second day of the show, good night :) 

The month of love has arrived!

Wow January has been and gone in a flash but don’t despair, with February being the month of love why not enter our competition to win yourself a bottle of champagne and chocolates on us!

To enter the competition please email comp@signsexpress.co.uk with your answer to the following question:


Where was Saint Valentine from?


Each month we will be running a competition to win fantastic prizes such as Champagne and chocolates, pampering sets, a digital camera and other goodies. 


Each month's competition will be featured on the Signs Express 2012 desktop calendar. Request your copy of the 2012 calendar 
To celebrate the launch of our competition entries will be accepted from 13th December - 31st January inclusive for the January prize of £100 shopping vouchers. 

Terms and conditions:
1. Prize draws are open only to those people aged 18 or over and are resident in the UK or Ireland. Entrants must not be employees (or members of their families) of Signs Express, its agents, or anyone professionally connected with the promotion. 2. One entry per person, per month. 3. No cash alternative or other prize is available. 4. All entries must be received by the last day of each month. 5. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost, mislaid, delayed or for any reason not included in the draw. 6. Signs Express reserves the right to substitute a prize of equivalent or greater value if this is necessary for reasons beyond its control.7. Each winner will be selected from the correct answers entered, under independent supervision and notified via phone or email. The promoter’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 8. The name of the winner will be available by sending a SAE to the promoter: Signs Express Ltd, The Old Church, St Matthews Road, Norwich NR1 1SP or emailing comp@signsexpress.co.uk