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.

With annual network sales of approximately £23.0m and ambitious growth anticipated – expansion of the network (to over 80 centres) and assisting the sustainable development of existing centres is of paramount importance.

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 and 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 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 sporting events and the industry NUQ.

• 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 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, “I’m delighted to welcome such a strong wealth of talent to the Signs Express Franchise Support Team. Our field-based operations team are perfectly placed to provide hands-on support to both our existing and new franchisees. Their experience, focus on support, training and development and most importantly, passion for the industry, has already reaped rewards.”

He continued: “Our operational resource and focus on training and support is invaluable, especially for our newest franchisees. These include new centres in Bath and Oxford this year and our four new centres which opened in 2017. I’m excited to announce that there are also four brand new centres opening before the end of 2018. I have a great team at the franchise support centre and as we know great teams play a huge part in our growth and success.”

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 a
nd 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, simply complete the form below.