Signs Express – Bigger, Better, Stronger

Established in 1989 and celebrating their 30th anniversary next year, Signs Express has developed into the largest network of sign production centres in the UK and is growing at its fastest rate in more than 10 years. Many of its centres have been trading for over 10 years, demonstrating the potential profit, business stability and career satisfaction in becoming a franchisee. The addition of a new field-based operations team this year is helping to support this growth. The Franchise Support team has now reached a total of 21 dedicated staff. Their remit is to support the franchise network by providing advice and guidance in all areas of the business, including sales & marketing, business development, operations, technical support and finance. The brand-new field-based Operations team brings a fresh approach and new ideas when assisting franchisees. With nearly 60 years of sign industry experience between them, the team’s ability to support on-site provides an invaluable asset to the Signs Express network. Meet the Operations team: Jeff Bufton – Head of Operations

Jeff Bufton, Head of Operations

Jeff joins Signs Express from Reade Signs where he held a senior management role, leading their Operations team, implementing processes and structure to improve efficiency and client experiences. He has over 30 years’ experience in the industry and has worked at all levels with some very impressive credentials. He has also owned and run his own successful sign company. He started his career as a hands-on sign maker and quickly evolved into a project management, delivering solutions and projects for a vast range of clients. His wealth of knowledge is an asset to Signs Express having run some very large and impressive projects including; working with Reading Football Club for over 20 years, Honda Europe design agency and 3 Olympics including the wayfinding project for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in conjunction with Icon, branding projects for the O2 and Harvey Nichols in conjunction with Ice Experience and a whole host of everyday signage projects. He is now on the board of the BSGA and chairman of the Trailblazer Group looking at the industry NVQ. Simon Ford – Operations Manager

Simon Ford, Operations Manager

With 10 years’ experience, Simon has taken up his role with Signs Express following a Project Manager position at Principle Global where he project managed a rebrand for HSBC across 500 locations. Prior to that, he spent a number of years working at Omega Signs, managing large signage projects for clients such as ASDA, plus worked for Futurama where he has been involved in all aspects of delivering signage solutions for customers. David Allen – Operations Manager

David Allen, Operations Manager

David has over 15 years of signs and graphics experience with excellent knowledge of production, manufacturing, installation, supplier sourcing and managing sales. He also spent 9 years operating another sign franchise, so knows what it’s like to be a business owner having to get to grips with every aspect of a local sign business and also has a good sense of what support would have been beneficial for him when starting out. Since then he has held senior roles at Keymt installation, as an Operations Manager, working exclusively for Gatwick Airport, Bolton Sign, Brand Consortia and Whiteghyll Visual Fabrications. Jonathan Bean, Managing Director of the market-leading franchise said

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As a franchisee of this successful enterprise, training is offered at every level. The operations team can assist with staff training and development, best practice and work closely with key suppliers to offer a range of training courses to continuously grow the skills of the brand’s 400+ strong staff. The Signs Express brand has maintained its extremely high quality standards throughout its tenure, which has cultivated a beneficial reputation across the UK. Indeed, over the years, Signs Express has been recognised for its achievements with a number of awards and finalist positions from respected organisations including the British Franchise Association and British Signs & Graphics Association. The company not only provides interior and exterior business signage, but they are also specialists in vehicle and window graphics, banners and exhibition displays and bringing office interiors to life. Such expertise, which overarches all aspects of signage, in conjunction with excellent customer service, has enabled the business to secure sustained growth since its conception in 1989. With the new leadership team in place and the staff numbers increasing, Signs Express is looking towards a bright future. If you would like to learn more about Signs Express or make an enquiry about your signage needs, contact us on 0845 5040 501 or email on sales@signs-express.co.uk. To find out more about the franchise package and to see if your chosen area is available, please contact our Franchise Recruitment team on 0800 731 2255 or email franchise@signs-express.co.uk