Following the landmark 25th anniversary of the Signs Express brand in 2014, a number of the franchisees of the market leading franchise are celebrating their own milestones – 20 years with the network this year, along with the first two franchisees Signs Express Ipswich and Grimsby who are celebrating 23 years this year.

The franchisees celebrating 20 years are: Nick and Marion Baxter-Sibley in Exeter, Russell Hollamby operating in Newcastle, Martin Prodger operating the Reading area, Stuart Harrison in Milton Keynes, Gary Wolchover and Nuala Kennedy in Telford, Steve Jarvis in Derby and Alvin and David Morris in Warrington.

Managing director Craig Brown, who himself has been with the company since its inception said, “It really is testament to the strength of our business model that so many of our franchisees have built their profitable businesses and continue to be a part of our network. Their commitment to our brand ethos has helped us grow in to the multi-million pound turnover business we are today.

Without fantastic people, we wouldn’t be where we are today and I am delighted for all of these centres. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with them in the years to come. There is no secret ingredient to success, just hard work and business acumen, which all of these franchisees demonstrate on a daily basis. I want to thank them for their loyalty and offer a very well deserved congratulations to them all!

The franchisees are all shining examples of the excellent customer service and expertise the company prides itself on and over the years their success has helped the network grow. Whilst the team at Franchise Headquarters are always on hand to help, these experienced franchisees are also more than happy to offer wise words to the rest of the network.”

In 1992, the fledgling signs and graphics franchise saw the recruitment of Ken Bevis and Nick Dawes as the first franchisees for the business, both of whom are still in the network today. Then followed a growth of new franchisees, including those who are celebrating 20 years. Skip to 2015 and the market leading brand has over 90 territory areas covered making it the UK’s largest by far.

As some franchisees look to pass on the business to family in the future, others will look to sell their asset as they reach retirement… but others, of course, will continue to build and grow their well treasured business!

Craig continued, “There is no doubt that our early years success has helped generate our strong brand presence and recruitment of new franchisees over the years. We’ve also built a large support team based at the Norwich head office to help franchisees in all areas of the business including sales and marketing, technical support, operations and accounts to ensure that there is always someone on hand to help our network succeed.”

The centres will be celebrating with their own activities this year, so keep an eye out for what is to come!