Signs Express Liverpool & Wirral: 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 four-week period, plus handover and ongoing support from our Franchise Support Centre team.

• Q. Who currently runs the centre?

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  The centre is currently run by Roy Heeley and John McEntee who have owned the business for over 20 years. Upon taking on the centre, a new owner could look to amend the structure by having one business owner plus sales support. The Franchise Support Centre can help with advice regarding structure and how this will affect your bottom line.

• Q. Why is the centre being sold?

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  The current owners are moving into retirement.

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

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  Based on a selling price of £149,500, you would require:

  • 30% of the sale price (£44,850) to purchase the business
  • £8,500 +VAT franchisee fee for your rights to trade under the Signs Express brand and within the territory for a 10-year period
  • £1,250 +VAT for our legal fees
  • £5-10k for your own legal and accountancy fees to complete the sale and due diligence
  • Totalling: c. £55,600
• Q. What sort of person are you looking for to take over the business?

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  We’re looking for a business minded, driven individual with strong sales skills, 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 £420 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 our Liverpool 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 Interactive Discovery Days at Signs Express (Twickenham) where you can have a tour of our company owned centre, see demonstrations, 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 our Liverpool 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...