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Leading sign making franchise Signs Express, is delighted to confirm they have been announced as a finalist for the BFA Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year Awards. The prestigious British Franchise Association Award highlights the innovative methods franchisors are adopting to effectively develop their brand to boost their potential for the future.

The Awards, now in their 24th year, showcase the UK's most exceptional franchisors that are driving business success through best practice, innovative strategies and building strong brands. Founded in 1989, Signs Express has grown steadily to become the UK's largest specialist signs and graphics company. The network comprises over 70 franchise sign production centres employing approximately 600 people across the UK and Ireland. Signs Express has had previous successes with these awards, having been nominated over the years for both Franchisee of the Year and Franchisor of the Year Awards with great success. On Monday 20th May, Signs Express will be moving onto the final stages of the selection process where they will be presenting to the judging panel. The final announcement of the winner and awards will be presented at the BFA HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards gala dinner on Thursday 4th July 2013 at the Honorary Artillery Company in London. Seán Hammond, Head of Franchising, Express Newspapers, said: 'The Express Newspapers Brand Builder of the Year Awards champions the franchisors who have implemented clever and innovative strategies to boost their brand recognition despite the highly competitive environment. This Award offers a platform for high-performing franchisors to receive prestigious recognition not only at industry level but also to showcase their success amongst their peers and clients.' In July 2011 Signs Express commissioned their first ever national customer survey of over 1000 businesses, to learn what their SME customers really thought. The survey findings formed the basis of a nationwide PR campaign which benefited individual franchisees as well as the overarching brand, as well as proving valuable research data which has helped shape the company's brand. The results for Signs Express showed that it was clear that their visual identity did not reflect the values and perceptions of their brand and that they needed to update. Signs Express wanted to embrace that they are a brand with tradition and heritage; whilst at the same time demonstrating that they are forward thinking, innovative, agile and current. Signs Express developed a new brand proposition that runs through every area of their business, from visual identity to staff training; internal systems to PR - everything the company does is about expertise. Using focus groups and a national survey helped to shape the direction of the re-brand for Signs Express. The national sign company took the opportunity to refresh their logo by using a new bright and engaging colour palette, giving a fresh energy into the established brand. All elements of the brand have received a fresh new look; from signage, literature and press advertising through to the company's website and now the new company vans; which will be seen driving across the length and breadth of the country. Signs Express Managing Director Craig Brown commented: We are truly honoured to have made it to the final stages for this award, it goes a long way in recognising the advancements and success of our recent rebrand. We understood the potential risk involved with making changes to our established, successful brand. We had to find out if our gut feel was right so embarked on many research projects. It was clear that our visual identity did not reflect the values and perceptions of our brand, we needed to update. The feedback and results we've received have reassured us that it was the right time for Signs Express to move forward and we're looking forward to the future.' Signs Express provides a one-stop-shop for signs and graphics for businesses large and small and is a full member of the British Sign & Graphics Association and the British Franchise Association.

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What our customers say

Rated 5 stars out of 5
Very professional and understanding and fast 
Mrs Lebatteux - Shillingford St George Village Hall
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
I had an excellent experience with Signs Express Exeter, particularly thanks to Joe, who was incredibly helpful throughout the process. The...
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Signs were all installed today – great bloke you have working for you, nice chap and very accommodating. All the Graphics look great – Th...
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Quick, professional, and quality products. Great communication. Great price! Can't go wrong. 
Jonny Rae - Fibre News
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Superb service, very fair price, very straightforward and easy to work with, will definitely use them again! Thank you 
Matthew Cauchois - Pressure Washing Exeter
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Contacted Signs express for some new signage and they were amazing. We had a very tight time frame and they were able to supply and fit in...
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Thank you so much for all your help re the sign writing for the van, it is really lovely and I am super pleased with it. The whole process...
Nicola - Petals & Posies
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Started using Signs Express Harlow last year, have always worked with Tom. Communication and updates from the company are always brilliant...
Emily Bannister - Victorian Sliders
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Hi Mike, Couldn’t be more pleased with the sign, it’s perfect!! Please could you do the other one exactly the same 👍 Best regards Bern...
Bernadette O’Sullivan - Woodcroft Stud
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
What can I say,professional from start to finish? Excellent job would highly recommend. Very fair price and update me all the way through t...
Julian Marks - Roofcare South West
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Hi Michael, I’m delighted with the window sign and your service.  
MICHAEL STOPFORD (1) - Cumulus Bookkeeping Services
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Signs Express were incredibly helpful and our banners were available to collect within days. Excellent quality, reasonably priced and grea...
Becky Hulse
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Great company to deal with and very patient with the many amendments to the design we went with. Van looks stunning - a real eye-catcher an...
Kulvinder Singh
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Fantastic service from the start designing the logo and graphic for my van to the final installation on the van. Kept up to date with vario...
Richard Croston
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
A very professional fast efficient service. The work was completed on time and to a very high standard. I would highly recommend them if yo...
Ian Mounter - IDM Airless
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
They went over and above to not only include all the edits I wanted, but they also moved their schedule around to fit me in. The service is...
Sophie Chappell
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Big thank you to everyone at Signs Express Bristol. We provided the photos and let your team do the magic. Great communications with your t...
Rupert Gladstone - Spitfire Avian Pest Control Ltd
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Great service from Ben, Chris and the team. They took the time to understand our requirements and weren't phased with multiple change reque...
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
We've recently worked with Signs Express helping a lot of our customers with their printing at an event we organise called The Business Sho...
Ricky Cobbledick
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
We used Signs Express to sign write 2 of our vans. Chelsea did a fantastic job in helping us design the vans and was very quick to respond...
Oliver Koeller
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Gavin was great! Amazing service and friendly staff. Really sustainable product, would highly recommend! 
Grace Mead
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Signs Express are great to work with - highly recommended. They helped me design and apply a wrap for my car. Looks great, everyone was su...
Paul Grosvenor
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Great service and friendly people. Huge thanks to the team who managed to fit in a last minute request and deliver a quality product. Defin...
Rebecca Simpson
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Rated 5 stars out of 5
Totally brilliant service. Excellent price. Well recommended. 
Mike Davies - Mike Davies Associates Ltd
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