Location: Central England

All you need to know:

• Q. My background isn’t in signage, is training provided?

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  Yes, full and extensive training is given to all new franchisees over a three-week period, plus ongoing support from our Franchise Support Centre team. You will also have an in-centre handover period with the exiting franchisees for additional support along with customer handover/instructions for key accounts.

  For more information, click here to find out about our three-week training programme.

• Q. Why is the centre being sold?

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  The current owners are extremely proud with what they have achieved and are now ready to sell their business and move onto new challenges.

• Q. Why is the business not named?

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  The current owners have chosen not to name the business specifically, however following an initial call and a signed NDA, we will happily discuss the specific details with you.

• Q. What’s the minimum capital I need initially to purchase the business?

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  • 30% of the sale price to purchase the business
  • £8,500 +VAT franchise fee for your rights to trade under the Signs Express brand and within the territory for a 10-year period
  • £1,250 +VAT for 50% of Signs Express Limited legal fees associated with the sale
  • £6-10k for your legal and accountancy fees to complete the sale and due diligence
• Q. What sort of person are you looking for to take over the business?

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  The centre presents further opportunity for expansion potential and would benefit from a new owner who recognises the significance of stakeholder relationships, understands the importance of financial and operational control and reporting, believes in leading by example and empowering their team and the value they have in the workplace.

  We’re looking for a business minded, driven individual with strong sales skills, a flair for project management and problem solving, along with strong team values and a core focus on customer excellence.

• Q. Are there any other costs involved?

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  All of the above costs are one off costs associated with the purchase of the business. As a franchise, the only other ongoing monthly costs you will incur are:

  1. Monthly Management Service Charge (MSC) fee of 7.5% of your turnover to cover use of the brand, all aspects of support from the Franchise Support Centre including IT, Finance, Sales, Operational Support and Marketing including our website (your shop window), bespoke marketing campaigns and much more.
  2. National Promotional Fund (NPF) levy of 1.5% of your turnover, or you can opt to pay NPF at a fixed monthly rate (currently set at £460 per month) which covers all of our national brand advertising, lead generation and your monthly PPC campaign.
• Q. If I’m interested in finding out more, what do I do next?

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  1. First off, send us an enquiry via our website or get in touch over the phone (01603 598455) and we’ll arrange a short introductory call with you. This gives us a chance to understand what it is that you’re looking for, what your business experience is and where your skills lie, what your goals are for the future and so we can give you a detailed overview of Signs Express.
  2. Following this, if both parties are happy to proceed, we’ll send you the confidential prospectus for the centre which gives you more financial information and information specific to the centre (following a signed NDA).
  3. We would then invite you to attend one of our Discovery Days at our Signs Express Franchise Support Centre in Norwich where you can meet some of the team and have an open and honest conversation about how the business works.
  4. Again, if both parties would like to proceed, we’d then invite you to speak to our network and visit the centre to get a real feel for what you’re looking to invest in!
• Q. I've never bought a business before, how does the legal process work?

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  When it comes to buying a business, it can certainly seem quite daunting. Whilst we can support you every step of the way, we want to ensure you’re getting expert advice at all times, therefore we partnered with Franchising Specialist Law Firm EMW Law to break down each stage of the legal process associated to buying a new business. Read on to view the full legal process involved...