Join the UK's Leading Signs & Graphics Franchise
Whether you're an experienced sign maker ready to scale, an independent signage business looking to rebrand and grow, or a business-savvy individual with no industry experience seeking your next opportunity — Signs Express offers the perfect platform to build a successful, sustainable business. Benefit from Monday to Friday working hours, strong earning potential, and full head office support from the Franchise Support Centre.
Why Join Signs Express?
- UK’s #1 signs and graphics franchise
- Earn up to £750,000+ turnover with 20% EBITDA potential
- Monday–Friday working – enjoy work-life balance
- Operate in your own exclusive territory
- Start from scratch, purchase a resale, try our conversion model (by buying an existing signage business and converting to Signs Express), or rebrand your existing signage business under the Signs Express name
- Full training, mentoring and operational support throughout
- Access to national accounts and collective buying power
- Winner of the BFA & HSBC 2024 Business Transformation Award
Choose the Business Model That Suits You
At Signs Express, we now offer four flexible routes to ownership so you can join us in a way that fits your background, goals and investment level:
- Resales: Purchase an established Signs Express centre with an existing customer base, local brand presence, experienced staff and recurring revenue.
- Start-ups: Launch a brand-new Signs Express centre in a prime, available territory. Perfect for ambitious individuals looking to build something from the ground up, with full training and support.
- Rebrands: Already running an independent signage business? Seamlessly rebrand as a Signs Express centre and gain access to our national marketing, operational support, group buying power and scalable growth model.
- Conversions: A hybrid of all three models, a Signs Express conversion sees us work with you to find an independent signage business for sale (in one of our vacant territories) and then help you to purchase it and convert it to a Signs Express in the process.
Creative, Consultative, Commercial
Our franchisees deliver bespoke signage and visual communication solutions to a wide variety of industries, from retail and construction to education, healthcare and manufacturing. Services include:
- Exterior building signage
- Illuminated and digital signs
- Vehicle graphics and wraps
- Exhibitions and displays
- Window graphics and bespoke wallpaper
- Health and safety signage
- Eco-friendly products and more
Setting You Up for Success
From your very first day, you’ll receive extensive training and hands-on support, including:
- Comprehensive onboarding and technical training
- Access to our custom-built Learning Management System (LMS)
- Business coaching, sales mentoring & operational guidance
- Dedicated Franchise Support Centre assistance in marketing, HR, IT, finance and more
- Local marketing campaigns run on your behalf
- Peer-to-peer best practice sharing across the network
- Growth options via our Hub & Spoke model for territory expansion
What Our Franchisees Say
“Nearly 25 years in, and I still love the industry and business. For a creative person who loves building relationships and meeting new people, being able to combine the two is ideal for me. Understanding our customers visions and bringing them to life gives me a huge buzz and seeing the work our team has produced in and around the city, gives me an enormous sense of pride.”
— Richard Howes, Signs Express (Lincoln)
“We’re excited to continue exploring what’s possible with the backing of such a strong and supportive network.”
— Matt Rutlidge, Signs Express (Central Lancashire)
“The business has been heading in a great direction, and joining the Hub & Spoke model was the perfect next step.”
— Kris Bell, Signs Express (Aylesbury)
“Rarely any two days are the same making each day interesting! As cheesy as it sounds, it’s the job satisfaction and being able to make a difference which motivates me still after 20 years ownership.”
— Ian Charles, Signs Express (Grantham)
Who We’re Looking For
You might be:
- A business savvy, hands-on manager with no industry experience but have the desire, drive and ambition to take a business to the next level
- An experienced sign maker or production lead with ambitions to run your own centre
- An independent signage business owner ready to rebrand and grow with the backing of a national network
- Strong relationship-building & sales skills
- Drive, ambition and creativity
- A consultative approach and customer-first mindset
Investment Information
- Franchise Fee: £8,500 (resale or rebrand) or £25,000 (start-up)
- Total Investment: Varies – we work with third-party funders including HSBC
- Liquid Capital Required: Typically, 30% of total investment
Start Your Signs Express Journey Today
Ready to take your business to the next level — or launch something brand new — with the UK’s leading signage franchise?
Click ‘Enquire Now’ to receive our full Franchise Prospectus and learn how we’ll support you every step of the way.
Current Resale Opportunities include:
- Signs Express (South Central England)
- Signs Express (Dartford)
- Signs Express (Harlow)
Current Locations Available for Start-Ups, Rebrands and Conversions include
- Ashford
- Bournemouth
- Brighton
- Canterbury
- Chester
- Crawley
- Croydon
- Dorking
- Eastbourne
- Edinburgh
- Harrogate
- Stoke
- Tunbridge
- Warrington
- Watford
- Worthing
- Franchise Fee: £8,500
- Minimum Investment: £215,000
- Minimum Liquid Capital: £65,000
- Potential Turnover: £750,000+
- Projected EBITDA: 20%
Play to Win: Signs Express Convention 2023
Held at the iconic St George’s Park in Burton-Upon-Trent on Friday 27th January, with our theme of “Play to Win” we welcomed franchisees and senior team members from across the Signs Express network along with a number of suppliers and of course the Franchise Support Centre team were there to network and keep the day running smoothly (and on time!).
Kicking off with our plenary session, led by Managing Director Jonathan Bean and Network Development Director Aaron Davis, we proudly presented network achievements and the impressive strides we’ve made as we work through our five-year strategy, allowing us to celebrate the outstanding successes and progress made in 2022. A clear message that teams that play together, win together…
Along with networking and supplier exhibitions, the day also saw interactive demonstrations from our suppliers including: new digital displays by Allsee Technologies, laser capabilities by Trotec and printing, laminating and cutting essentials from SEDO and Epson leaving our franchisees with new possibilities to consider. Plus, our suppliers were on hand to form the panel for our themed Q&A which this year was focussed on the hugely important topic of environmental sustainability within the signage industry creating a great discussion and debate.
Wrapping up the daytime session of our event, we moved onto our much-coveted Sign Awards. With an abundance of talent and impressive projects throughout the year we were spoilt for choice, however the winners are:
- Signs Express (Huddersfield) for Dewsbury Library: Best Exterior Sign
- Signs Express (Central Lancashire) for The Brig Lodge: Best Interior Sign
- Signs Express (Milton Keynes) for Unibrew: Best Vehicle Graphics
- Signs Express (Stoke) for CBeebies: Best Sign Project Sponsored by SignElite
- Signs Express (Southampton) for Celebrity Beyond: Most Striking Design Sponsored by Metamark
- Signs Express (Grimsby): Supplier of the Year
A huge congratulations to our winners and finalists for 2022!
A quick change into our finest outfits and we kicked off our Gala evening with drinks kindly sponsored by Metamark, a quick photo opportunity for the franchisees and their teams and onto a delicious meal with the perfect chance to unwind and socialise with our Signs Express colleagues and friends.
Fast forward three courses and we were ready to announce the last of our awards, our all important Signs Express Franchise Awards. Again, with an amazing network of talent, it’s a hard one to judge, but we’re delighted to announce our 2022 winners as:
- Kris Bell from Signs Express (Aylesbury): Newcomer of the Year
- Matt Bevis from Signs Express (Grimsby): Network Champion of the Year
- Tori Kendrick from Signs Express (Birmingham): Employee of the Year
- Lee Reynolds from Signs Express (Lancaster): Franchisee of the Year
And that was it! A few more drinks at the bar to celebrate and our 2023 Convention is over for another year. A big thank you to all of our franchisees and suppliers for making it such a fantastic event, we look forward to making it even bigger and better for 2024.
Join our award-winning network…
Signs Express is the UK’s largest signs and graphics business, offering a bespoke, creative and consultative approach to signage from a network of over 60 centres. With over 30 years’ experience and a passion for customer service we are at the forefront of the signage industry, offering an innovative approach with a forward-thinking strategy.
With franchise opportunities to join our award-winning network via established resale opportunities and prime-location start up opportunities, we offer you the chance to become your own boss and secure your financial future. If this is a business opportunity that appeals to you and you would like the chance to attend our 2024 Convention, why not get in touch?
You can also find out more by attending one of our new Interactive Discovery Days, held at our flagship Signs Express (Twickenham) centre. These fantastic events allow you to understand how our business works, what you can hope to achieve, experience a ‘day in the life of Signs Express’ and get involved with demonstrations and a tour of the centre.
For more information, please contact Head of Franchise Recruitment Emma Wakefield who will be happy to help.
I would definitely recommend franchising to those who wish to own a business with large potential. It’s been a fantastic way to grow my opportunities whilst knowing I have all the support, guidance and reassurance just a phone call away.
Signs Express’ dedicated support team ensure I look at the facts and figures giving me advice on the next steps to take. It’s important to keep looking at the bigger picture in order to keep on track with the growth I want for the business. I have a very exciting future ahead of me.
