As one of the very first franchisees to join the Signs Express network, Ken Bevis opened his centre in Grimsby in 1992. His career had seen him in the army and owning and operating an International Refrigeration Transport company and he was keen to start a new venture.

As one of the very first franchisees to join the Signs Express network, Ken Bevis opened his centre in Grimsby in 1992. His career had seen him in the army and owning and operating an International Refrigeration Transport company and he was keen to start a new venture.

Now 18 years on, Signs Express (N. & N.E. Lincs) has grown to be one of the largest in the group with 17 staff and an ever growing customer base. Ken was also one of the first franchisees to own his own purpose built centre, expanding from the original 2500ft centre to a new 5000ft one in 1998. This helped make it possible to handle substantial orders and also provide production support to other Signs Express centres which do not have the current capacity to produce in such large format.

Over his time as franchisee Ken has received numerous acknowledgements for his success, including several awards from franchise and signage bodies as well as from Signs Express itself.

Most recently, Ken was appointed as a board member at the British Franchise Association (BFA) as a result of his previous work on other committees. As the self governing body for franchising, the BFA’s decision to elect franchisees was to enhance the wider views of the BFA to include not just franchisors but also franchisees as members. The appointment of Ken, is one of the key steps being taken in the development.

He commented on his own vision as a member of the board: “We need to encourage Franchisees to realise the significant changes in the BFA which can represent our industry at all levels including Government. The franchise industry as a whole is a major employer in the UK and should be recognised as such.”

Ken recently scooped the prestigious award as Franchisee of the Year at the Signs Express convention 2009, as a result of his continued outstanding performance and his ability to exceed expectation even during the current economic downturn. At the same event, Ken also reached the finals of the Ambassador award category for the work and support he and his team offer to other Signs Express franchisees.

As part of the UK and Ireland’s leading signs and graphics company, Signs Express (N. & N.E. Lincs) provides a complete design, manufacture and installation service for all forms of signage including interior/exterior signs, vehicle graphics, exhibition and display products, window graphics and health and safety signage for businesses in Grimsby and surrounding areas.