APRIL 2018
The UK’s first Signarama Light opens its doors
n Signarama has opened the first Signarama Light showroom in the UK in Salford, having revealed the concept in 2017.
New operator Keddy Banda says:
“We are thrilled to have officially opened the doors of our Signarama Light; the opportunity to expand our business through the Light model was too good to miss. You get all the benefits of the franchise in terms of training and support but on a low-investment, high-return-on- investment basis. It’s win-win for us!” Designed to offer a more affordable entry into the UK’s booming signage market, Signarama Light showrooms are fully fitted out like all other Signarama centres but don’t have any production equipment on site. As a result, the required building footprint is much smaller and therefore attracts lower rental and business rates, keeping costs to a minimum. Signage and graphics production is
outsourced to top-quality national and local suppliers – including existing franchisees in the Signarama network – meaning
there’s no need for an in-house production and design workforce. Consequently, Signarama Light franchisees can focus on meeting customers and driving the business forward through sales and strategic development.
A further benefit of the Light model is that franchisees can choose to upgrade to full production facilities as they grow or, as Keddy and the team plan to, open a network of Light showrooms that can feed a central production centre. Keddy says: “Our main Signarama
showroom in Preston handles all production in-house. We have a fantastic team there, and together we’re focused on building an empire of Light showrooms in nearby territories, with Preston being the hub. I think the flexibility of the model is going to be really appealing to people because of how many different ways you can grow and expand as a business.” Signarama now has over 900 franchisees in 60 countries. With the introduction of the Signarama Light model, the UK network is taking the first steps
towards its mission for the future: to be the UK’s leading signage brand and the go-to solution for all businesses seeking to improve their brand visibility. Aliyyah-Begum Nasser, Signarama’s UK managing director, adds: “We’re very excited for the Signarama Salford team – it’s just the beginning of a new era in Signarama’s UK history. The Light model is really grabbing the attention of aspiring business owners as well as those already in the sector. It opens up the industry to a much wider audience, including younger generations keen to get into business ownership but previously priced out of the market.”
Belvoir deal creates new Carlisle offices
n Property franchise Belvoir has announced that Belvoir Cumbria – previously a corporate-owned office based in Whitehaven – has successfully been purchased by Bulmans (Carlisle), which will be rebranding its existing business to Belvoir. The rebranding will create Belvoir’s first office in Carlisle. In addition, the amalgamation of the Belvoir business with the Bulman’s office in Whitehaven will form a new, larger Belvoir Cumbria office. Confirming the completion of Belvoir’s latest deal, chief executive Dorian Gonsalves says: “Belvoir has maintained a presence in Cumbria for over a decade and we are delighted that Bulmans has chosen the Belvoir brand to strengthen their existing market position in both
Carlisle and Whitehaven.
“The combined businesses will become one of the largest agencies in the North Cumbria area, and we are looking forward to seeing significant growth in the coming year and developing a mutually beneficial relationship with Adele Irwin, Darren
Turnbull and Tony Phillipson, who are the new franchisees.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Darren
Turnbull says: “This deal was six months in the making, as we wanted to ensure that we made the right decision for our clients, staff and the business. “We feel that by becoming part of the Belvoir brand we are well positioned to help our landlords navigate increased legislation and tax changes, and to help them prosper in the future.”
This latest acquisition is part of Belvoir’s assisted acquisition programme. Dorian adds: “We are keen to talk to
The Belvoir Carlisle team
any entrepreneurial independent agents who are not only interested in converting their current brand to Belvoir, but who are also interested in expanding their business through acquisition.”
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BusinessFranchise.com | April 2018
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