Recognition Express franchise

Min investment
£9,000

Outlets
42

Recognition Express franchise

Unique Solution in Promoting Your Image

Specialist suppliers of corporate branded merchandise for 40 years – UK leaders in a £3billion marketplace – bfa award winners.

Minimum investment
£9,000

Funding support
Third Party

Total investment
£25,000 +VAT

Franchise fees
£8,000 +VAT

Business type
Franchise

Expected revenue after 2 years
£70,000

  • Operating fee:
    N/A
  • Advertising fee:
    Varies according to turnover
  • Royalty fee:
    10% of turnover
  • Average floor space:
    N/A

Minimum investment
£9,000

Outlets
42

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About Recognition Express
Franchise

Recognition Express
probably the best B2B franchise in the UK

Successfully trading since 1979, previous winner of the coveted bfa Franchise of the Year Award, over 45 franchise territories in the UK and Europe and with multiple revenue streams Recognition Express is a stalwart of British franchising and is the most successful franchise network for the sector in the UK.

In a market worth an estimated £3billion plus per annum Recognition Express supplies branded business gifts and promotional products, personalised name badges, staff awards, posters and signs plus a full range of branded clothing to the widest cross section of companies and organisations in the UK.

Hardworking, ambitious and driven franchisees with good ‘people skills’ are well suited to the ethos of the company and will find the rewards for owning your own business can be substantial.

Walk around your local area and see the opportunities everywhere for badges, branded clothing, promotional products, large format colour posters, corporate gifts and awards. The market is huge, and the good news is that most of the business is repeat business.

In business for yourself not by yourself

With 40 years in business the Recognition Express Head Office team have a wealth of business experience from sales and marketing to operations to finance to procurement.

Whilst this is your business and it’s you who makes the key decisions, we are always on hand with help and advice.
More importantly you have access to the widest range of support to help you manage, grow and develop the business.
You also benefit from the Recognition Express business systems, marketing programmes and collateral and sales tools.

As part of the largest franchise network for corporate merchandise and recognition products you will take advantage of our considerable purchasing power – plus we get best products from the best suppliers, keeping you ahead of the competition.

We are committed to supporting you in all key areas of the business:

  • Integrated business planning
  • Centralised marketing activity
  • Appointment generating programme
  • Ongoing training
  • Financial planning
  • Comprehensive marketing launch programme
  • Annual symposium
  • Monthly magazine
  • Dedicated extranet
  • Help and advice lines
  • Franchisee websites
  • Procurement

Marketing is the cornerstone of every successful B2B business

Recognition Express has extensive marketing experience in the business to business field. We have developed several tried and tested marketing systems and programmes to help franchisees to achieve ‘friction free’ marketing and to get in front of customers – old and new.

All franchisees have access to an extensive and comprehensive collection and range of marketing collateral from sales letters, to email marketing to awareness cards to flyers/leaflets to give-aways to a branded and personalised catalogue. Additionally, we engage professional agencies to coordinate direct marketing activity to prospective customers and generate appointments on your behalf.

Centrally designed, managed and implemented direct marketing programmes form the backbone of the Recognition Express marketing system. These are augmented by high quality literature, marketing tools and ongoing training designed to drive business growth, client contact and brand awareness.
Constantly on the lookout for exciting products and innovations, we invest both the time and money in on-going new product development programmes and in constant R&D, across the whole product range.

Your cost

There are two options available with Recognition Express.

Some franchisees like to have the ability to print/decorate products ‘on-site’ and as such we provide a comprehensive ‘equipment package’ as part of the offering. Many other franchisees would much rather spend their hard-earned time speaking with and meeting new and existing customers, building relationships, generating new business and looking after existing orders. In these cases, franchisees have asked us to remove the equipment package.

The Recognition Express franchise is available for £25,000 (+ vat)

Should you wish to include the equipment then the total price is £35,000 (+ vat).
You will be able to reclaim the VAT in your first quarter.

We have excellent relationships with all the major banks and for a business with the history and performance record of Recognition Express we expect the banks to fund at 70% or the total required. If you were looking to fund at £25,000 your personal commitment would be under £8,000 (plus vat)

Initial franchise package includes:

  • Licence to trade and use the trademarks
  • Marketing Launch Programme
  • Extended training
  • Centralised Marketing programmes
  • Appointment generating system
  • Own website
  • Extensive marketing collateral
  • 250 Recognition Express product catalogues
  • Accounting software
  • Ongoing training; business reviews and network meetings
     

 

Training and support provided

Training is comprehensive and extensive, covering all key business areas – marketing, sales, finance, business planning, production, products, pricing etc.

What our franchisees say

“Having been away from the workplace for 18 years, I was apprehensive about starting my own business. The support I have received from Recognition Express has been exceptional, so much so that at the end of my first year I achieved all my financial targets and have made the transition to business owner. The business is going extremely well and the economic climate has not affected my business at all. In fact, people are very aware of the need to promote the business and keep their name out there.”

Jan Chidley, Recognition Express Hull and East Riding

“The support has been first class with excellent material and an ever-improving range of centralised marketing programmes. I can see significant growth and am aiming to take the business to the next level over the next 12 months.”

Sally Findlay, Recognition Express Mid Surrey

You’ll also receive an extensive package to help you get your business started including:

  • Printers, plotters, heat presses and other essential equipment.
  • A marketing launch programme (followed up by centralised marketing support).
  • Bespoke ‘REACT’ marketing system including materials and product catalogues.
  • Your own dedicated website.
  • Contact management and appointment generating systems so you can stay organised.
  • Sage accounting software.

 

The ideal Recognition Express franchisee

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for ‘people’ people – good communicators who are comfortable building relationships at all levels.
Successful franchisees are well organised, ambitious, and keen to follow a proven business system.

We want the best

Recognition Express will provide you with everything you need to ensure a successful start to your franchise business.

You need to bring ambition, drive, determination and a passion to own your own business and to succeed plus a positive attitude to working with the franchisor and building relationships with customers.

We will train you, support you, arm you and be by your side as you start and throughout your journey.

 

Recognition Express' history

Established in 1979, Recognition Express has almost 40 years’ experience in producing high-quality B2B personalised and promotional products. We’ve earned our place as the most successful franchise network in the industry, capitalising on more than £3 billion of business waiting to be snapped up by our eager franchisees. We’re also a previous winner of the prestigious BFA/HSBC Franchisor of the Year award and have dedicated franchisees who’ve been running their businesses for over 25 years. Now, as part of the successful Bardon Group, we’ve cemented our position as a well-established and profitable brand.

Case studies

Name: Ciorsdan Price
Location: Ayr, West Scotland
Franchise: Recognition Express South West Scotland
Year you started with the franchise: 2003

Why did you go down the franchise route? And why did you choose your franchise?
My husband and I bought the franchise from my parents who had been running it from 1981. I had been working for them part-time so was already familiar with everything whereas it was completely new territory for Stephen. Stephen was happy to come on board however as he recognised Recognition Express as a well-established brand which offered great back-up and included a strong initial training programme.

Working for my parents I could see the potential in the business, the growth in company and corporate branding. It seemed like a good idea and Stephen was disillusioned with his job, so when my parents decided to sell, we made them an offer to buy the business.

What did you do before taking up a franchise?
I worked part-time already for Recognition Express West Scotland whilst Stephen worked in the financial services industry and latterly the golf holiday market.

How did you raise the finance?
Borrowed the money.

What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
I was already au fait with the business having managed the accounts, the admin and the day to day running of the company but as Stephen was completely new to the territory we both undertook 1 week of training with head office which actually proved quite insightful for both of us. The training was substantial and enough to make Stephen feel confident about starting his new career.

What is a typical day for you as a franchisee?
No day is ever the same. Stephen and I have clearly defined roles and we’re each responsible for different aspects of the business. I look after artwork, finance and invoices, admin and office duties and Stephen focuses on sales, and growing turnover and profitability.

What challenges have you faced?
There is not enough time in the day! There is so much to be done and I often find I’ve ran out of time. This doesn’t particularly faze me though as I’m extremely methodical and organised so I know it will get done.

Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so how?
Everything is better now. Both Stephen and I love going to work and working together. It is extremely demanding and requires a lot of juggling but the result of this is an amazing quality of life.

What marketing/promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise?
Although we do use email campaigns and post literature out, a lot of our business is acquired through word of mouth and from building good strong relationships with our customers.

What differentiates your franchise from the competition?
The most important lesion we’ve learnt is the importance of client enquiries being followed up quickly and efficiently. Speed and professionalism are paramount to our success.

How does the franchisor support you?
We rarely need to speak to the franchisor but it’s great to know that if we need him, he’s always there for us. He’s extremely fair and supportive of all the franchisees and is someone we know we could go to for help – should we need it.

What does your brand mean to you?
We’ve worked extremely hard to build our brand together in the past thirteen years. When our customers hear Recognition Express West Scotland, they also hear Ciorsdan and Stephen so it’s our personal reputation on the line as well as the business, which is why we go above and beyond to run it successfully and deliver a quality, professional service.

What do you think your brand means to your customers?
We receive positive testimonials from our customers each week which is great as they all commend our business for its great service, efficiency, professionalism and the friendly people that work there!

How has your business developed – what makes your customers keep coming back?
When we initially took over the business from my parents, they had only just touched on offering promotional products. This is something that Stephen and I developed over the years and as a result our turnover has almost tripled.

In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
You need to always put your customer first. If you’re a husband and wife team it’s crucial that your responsibilities do not overlap. There’s no point in having two great office administrators and nobody on the sales desk! Complimenting each other is the key to succeeding.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of buying their first franchise?
Be prepared to work hard. People might assume owning a franchise is easy, but it is not. You are the boss, so you have to put in the hours. Stephen and I only allow ourselves 1 week off for the whole year, except for closing down for Christmas. We must be disciplined with this ensure we can run our business successfully. But we love our job so if that’s the case this won’t be an issue. Hard work will pay off you just have to be patient.

What are your plans for the future?
To keep being successful and to keep enjoying it.