Who are the BIGGEST sign players in the United Kingdom?

[Andy Gorman]

Near me are Hawes Signs who do the Tesco’s work as well as a lot of garage forecourts.

[signworxs]

Mersons, Butterfields, Blaze, Pearce (not the biggest), William Smith and Hawes are probably all in the the top 10 but what about the franchise people like Recognition E*^”ess 21 branches and Signs E*^”ess 74 branches.
👿

[Guy Burt-Davies]

At last a question that I can be a sort of expert on!!

In terms of turnover the biggest companies are:

1 Hawes Signs – tesco, marks & spencer and a lot of the big roll out projects but won’t touch a one off for any money – turnover about £25 million.

2 Pearce Signs – lots of forecourt work and most of the banks etc but have seen turnover drop by about 30% over recent years to about £23 million.

3 Blaze Neon – Disneyland Paris is their biggest claim to fame but Halifax & Barclays are among their customers – turnover about £13 million

4 Ace Signs – Burger King & Little Chef amongst others – turnover about £7 million.

5 Ashleigh Signs – keep themselves to themselves but do quite a bit of pub chain work – turnover about £6.5 million

6= Omega Signs – formed by directors of oldham Signs before they went bust and do a lot of pub work as well as Mercedes Benz – turnover about £6 million

6= Merson Signs (the best of the lot coz I work for them!!) – head office in East Kilbride with another factory in Crawley (my base), marks & spencer and British Airports Authority are just two of an impressive list of clients (come on – you’ve got to let me brag a bit!!) – turnover about £6 million.

There are a lot – well about 6 or 7 other companies whose turnover is around the £6 million mark but I’d probably just bore you if I listed all of them!

the thing is though that we’re only really interested in the ‘big’ names, I can’t think of any of the big national firms that would a) be able or b) want to complete on a local stage. The competition for that business is most likely to be the franchise sign firms (Sign Express, FastSigns & Sign Now) all of whom are prepared to take anyones money and promise them that they can have a good business. They’re so wrong though because to succeed in this trade (which we obviously all love) takes more than money – it takes a bit of passion and flair which you’re everyday accountant or other wanabee franchisee just wont have.

I said in an earlier post that I am impressed by the quality of work displayed on the forum, we have some good designers here but some of the stuff I’ve seen here would put our guys to shame – how can some franchisee with a shiny new shop expect to thrive? Sure they will pick up work (that’s what having a good national sales team will do for you) but at the end of the day will they go the extra mile? I don’t see any of them on here asking for help or helping others and that tells me all I need to know.

Sorry for the long winded rant but I hope this post edjumacates and inspires you all! 😛

[Robert Lambie]

i dont think i would class a franchise group as a main player in the sign game. ok the names big, but not as an individual company. they are a group of companies with a single title. would the UKSG (UK Sign Group) with more than 200 group members be a major sign company? wish it did but of course its not. im not being funny mate, honestly.. not having a go at your reply, it just knocked my nose out a bit when i thought of classing a franchise as a main player. (for the record: no disrepect to any franchisee, there are plenty great signmakers amongst them)

i look at a real player as a company that starts up from scratch and builds to a national known figure & reputable at that.
i know many large companies merged and have formed one huge company. but thats easy to do if you go into liquidation today, drop staff, debts & even some smaller sign business that was subbed by them, & then open back up tommorrow under a new name, but backed by 2 or maybe 3 other firms doing the same thing, to merge as one, under a spanking new name. 😕

your right though… there are some like, HAWES, PEARCE, BLAZE, etc etc
all flying their own flag, playing the game as it should.
MERSON is the biggest in scotland, i know they have opened in london to do the heathrow rebrand and the like, but didnt know they were as big south of the border? good on them if they are….

[evox]

well, on last weeks takings put me no. 21,999 ( no.22,000 went bust)

[signworxs]

Rob that was tounge in cheek hence the devil at the end. I dont class them as major players as they are run by ex plumbers, accountants and chefs, nothing wrong with that but they will have had no design or colour theory training or prior experience with a sign company. I apprenticed for 5 years unlike them. :lol1: Know of Mersons through my connections with BSGA but class them as big in the UK as a whole.

[Robert Lambie]

quote signworxs:

Rob that was tounge in cheek hence the devil at the end. I dont class them as major players as they are run by ex plumbers, accountants and chefs, nothing wrong with that but they will have had no design or colour theory training or prior experience with a sign company. I apprenticed for 5 years unlike them. :lol1: Know of Mersons through my connections with BSGA but class them as big in the UK as a whole.

sorry mate… 😳 😉 :lol1:

[budone]

Turn over is all well and good but what is the profit???

and what about the big players like Hawes and Merson who have got where they are at the expense of the smaller sign companies (mainly installation companies)

Hawes not paying sub-contractors for at least 90 days usually longer.
they may turn over £25 million but if they can’t pay the small subies bills on time then they don’t rank high in my book

And Mersons wanting to control subies telling them who they can and can employe – basically wanting the free ride of not having to deal with paye and all that comes with employing permanent staff

[autosign]

A company in Belgium does all the F1 circuits.

I doubt Ecclestone let’s them make much out of it though.

[Keith Nilsen]

All in all an interesting array of replies and views so far!!

I agree that a large proportion of work that I have seen done by franchises leaves a lot to be desired, but then a quick walk down any high street leaves me bewildered by just how many BADLY designed signs there are out there. They all can’t be done by franchises surely!

This particular point is why I find the UK Signboards site so interesting. There are a lot of talented people out there doing our industry proud. Not only that but they are freely imparting their knowledge and experience to newcomers, some of which frankly need all the design help they can get!

I don’t say that last comment with a better-than-thou attitude. It is a good thing to have new people joining this profession all the time, but in a lot of my general conversations it seems to be the opinion that signmaking is easy money and anyone can do it!! (Perhaps I have answered my previous query about the staggering array of bad signage!!) The result seems to be that anyone IS actually doing it, with scant regard to the basics!

What I am saying is that it would be great if there was more of a learning process involved, like old apprenticeships, where people could learn and value the basics. That way we might not be inundated with poor spelling, bad grammar, terrible punctuation etc that has become commonplace these days. Perhaps I am just a bit of a stickler for details, but then it is the details that make a great sign in my humble opinion.

I only hope that I grow as a business so that I might be able to employ some young poor mite, and somehow instil in the unfortunate aforementioned creature a sense for the true way of going about our craft!

PS. Sods Law there is an error in that text somewhere!!

[J. Hulme]

quote KNilsen:

All in all an interesting array of replies and views so far!!

I agree that a large proportion of work that I have seen done by franchises leaves a lot to be desired, but then a quick walk down any high street leaves me bewildered by just how many BADLY designed signs there are out there. They all can’t be done by franchises surely!

Not all by franchises, but they over-contribute 😉 but designed by owners with ms paint who won’t pay for anything decent. I’m working on at least ten draft copies at present, a few supplied customer things have a horrid design with no balance, in my wisdom I will add at least three other designs just showing the errors of their ways, then we will price on at least three options of substrate, fixing, frames and none, bare fitting to wall/wood. The majority will say cheapest possible, cheap thin foamex, no frame, screwed to a facia and even some will keep their design, I won’t put my name in the corner, I’m not about to refuse the work, but I’m not working for nothing, I’m in the business to make money, nothing else.
Customer pays the extra for quality image, all fine and well.
Customer tight and wants poor image, that’s their problem.

[signworxs]

A little off the main topic but how many times have you heard ” My son/daughter has this very good graphic package on his/her computer and they are very artie and they came up with this design can you reproduce it” Yeh right……… (:)

[J. Hulme]

quote signworxs:

A little off the main topic but how many times have you heard ” My son/daughter has this very good graphic package on his/her computer and they are very artie and they came up with this design can you reproduce it” Yeh right……… (:)

Indeed, and fortunately, we can, but it will still look crap.
The worst are the photoshop brigade with their disgusting graduated fills.

[Robert Lambie]

when we talk the larger, “the biggest” firms and the sort of work they do.. not all but most designs go far beyond the graphic. structural fabrication, lighting to be used etc all play a major part in signage, not just the graphic itself.
take a cracking bit of artwork/company logo/whatever…. put onto a sheet of 3mm foamex with cheap vinyl. fixed onto the wooden fascia board with 1 inch screws? 😮 see where I’m coming from?
most, if not all of us would say.. no no you cant do that.. so its not just a good design or the software used that makes a good sign maker/company.
this goes onto almost every aspect of our trade.
vehicle wrapping…. how many are jumping on that band wagon just because they can get cheap digital prints and think because they can apply a line of text then they can wrap a VW beetle?
at the end of the day, a well made sign that looks good, is a well made sign that looks good. how you got it to look like that is irrelevant. (well within reason 😉 )

“just my opinions”

[Carrie Brown]

We were wondering who did the work for M&S, Tesco etc …. now we know.

[Guy Burt-Davies]

whoah! hold on there budone! (!)

I accept and agree with your point about profit – hawes turning over £25 million but only generating £480k pre-tax profit is not good but as for us (merson) wanting to control sub contractors are you seriously telling me that you’d be happy with an inexperienced and/or untrained person being the lasting impression of your business? All the sharp suits and fast talking in the world won’t talk you out of trouble if a sub contractor turns up on site and botches the job – or worse still causes an accident or injury – he’s acting on your instruction and as far as the client is concerned is from your company.

We use carefully vetted sub contractors (CSCS card holders) as and when needed but still employ 11 of our own crews, if the subby doesn’t or won’t meet our standards then we’ll use one who does.

[Robert Lambie]

quote neon wizard:

wanting to control sub contractors are you seriously telling me that you’d be happy with an inexperienced and/or untrained person being the lasting impression of your business? All the sharp suits and fast talking in the world won’t talk you out of trouble if a sub contractor turns up on site and botches the job – or worse still causes an accident or injury – he’s acting on your instruction and as far as the client is concerned is from your company.

We use carefully vetted sub contractors (CSCS card holders) as and when needed but still employ 11 of our own crews, if the subby doesn’t or won’t meet our standards then we’ll use one who does.

when it comes to signing projects such as the ones companies of this size get involved in, i have got to agree…
e.g. would you spend £thousands of pounds getting your house fitted with central heating and the guy turning up wasnt corgi approved, or even time served with papers?

as for the 90 days… this happens with any big firm. we have several long term customers that wont pay for at least 90days. its not good waiting on payment, i know.. we have been there… the worst part is waiting the 90 days and still you have to call on them… there are various reasons why companies of this size ask for this period of time without paying as oppossed to just greed, tight funds etc i still dont condone it, but feel it comes with the territory. 😕

[Steve Broughton]

quote signworxs:

A little off the main topic but how many times have you heard ” My son/daughter has this very good graphic package on his/her computer and they are very artie and they came up with this design can you reproduce it” Yeh right……… (:)

:lol1:
Customer :- “My 14 yr old son designed this on his computer, great isn’t it, can you use it?
Me :- “Yup mate no problem, but can you wait till half term and I’ll get my 13 yr old niece to fit it!”

🙄

[Paul Goodwin]

^^ :lol1: :lol1:

[Keith Nilsen]

Perfect reply Steve, definitely one for the “dumb ass customer” catalogue!!

[budone]

I understand you work for these people neon wizard……… but how much do you know about the CSCS scheme???

here’s how it works incase you don’t know……..

Pay £35 (approx) to take a Health & Saftey, nothing taxing involved, multiple choice similar idea to the farce of the theory driving test. – they even give you a CD with the questions on!!

Pay £20 for your registration fee for 3 years…. and get someone to sign your form saying your competent! Thats industry accredation for you!
No minimum length of service, no practical test, no NVQ or what ever

The next 3 years you can bodge on till your hearts content then take another H&S test pay your £20 and carry on so……

quote :

We use carefully vetted sub contractors (CSCS card holders)

doesn’t mean your getting a trained & experienced fitter who know’s what he’s doing. Any monkey can spend £50-60 quid for a CSCS card and accredit themselves!

Not only that but any fitting company will have trained there staff to the proper levels required to do the job competently else they will go out of business pretty sharp.

I mean things like……
IPAF, Pasma, SPA Fourecourts, CCNSG saftey pasport etc…. which will cost over £500 per person to do. Not the kind of money a cowboy is willing to spend.

It’s only my personal experianced opinion you understand……. but why don’t merson and hawes employe enough crews to cover there own work??

1) Employing directly is way cheaper than sub-contracting – subing a crew costs around £30/hour employing a crew costs around £10 for the fitter and £6-7 for a mate at the top end.
2) You are in direct control of the quality of installation, as they are your crews.

[Guy Burt-Davies]

Budone,

You make a lot of good points and I agree the CSCS card scheme is not all it should be – yet. I have my CSCS card (as well as several other bits of paper earnt whilst I was out on the road) and the BSGA are actively (well as actively as they can) working with the CSCS card scheme and the CITB to make it more like the kind of scheme you and I both seem to think is needed.

On the subject of sub contract fitters vs directly employed I would love for us to have another 4 crews on the road so that I knew that my customers were having their signs installed by people I knew and trusted but that is just not practical – work is cyclical and there is no guarantee that we could keep 15 crews gainfully employed all year.

Yes you’re right, our fitters get paid @£8 to £9 per hour with the mates on @£6 but when you add NIC, the van, fuel and all the other costs associated with PAYE it mounts up to over £30 an hour – so your argument about direct employment being cheaper than subbies just doesn’t stack up – and with subbies you pay for what you use (a day, a week or whatever) but a directly employed fitter is for life, not just for christmas!

[budone]

quote :

a directly employed fitter is for life, not just for christmas!

We can’t even get one just for christmas let alone life!

I see your point with respect to NIC and PAYE costs, but surely most subbies charge milage @ something like £0.40 per mile? to cover cost of wear & tear and good old fuel – most of the ones i’ve delt with have anyway.

From my point of view a subbie is all well and good as you say for the take it or leave it.

But down to the nitty gritty the subbie eats well into the proffits! In my experiance!

[David McDonald]

This list may not be exhaustive and 100% accurate; it’s from a quick search on the market intelligence service that I subscribe to. If the company didn’t have “Signs” in the title then it won’t appear in the list – there are some notably omissions I can think of locally. It works on company registration number, hence the reason you see some companies appearing more than once, ie. Pearce Signs Group is the Parent of Pearce Sign Services Ltd and Pearce Signs Ltd. Generally just look at the Parent listing for the total number of employees. I’m not quite sure how “Private Independents” are counted, hence when you look at Butterfield it’s unclear how many total employees they have. It would take too long to get the same list based on turnover but from a brief look at the top-ten then the rank of number of employees corresponds closely to turnover (but not profits!). Treat this list as a guide only – I wouldn’t bet money on Pearce being bigger than Hawes, or vice versa. In case anyone objects to me posting this listing then all this information is 100% in the public domain.

Cheers, Dave

Registered Company, Location, Employees, Category
Pearce Signs Group Ltd, Broadstairs, Kent, 388, Private Parent
Hawes Signs Ltd, Northampton, Northamptonshire, 314, Private Subsidiary
Pearce Sign Services Ltd, Orpington, Kent, 200, Private Subsidiary
Jepson Signs Ltd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 200, Private Subsidiary
Signs & Labels Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, 198, Private Parent
Blaze Signs International Ltd, Broadstairs, Kent, 194, Private Parent
Pearce Signs Ltd, Orpington, Kent, 175, Private Subsidiary
Butterfield Illuminated Signs Ltd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, 150, Private Independent
Butterfield Sign Service Ltd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, 140, Private Independent
Pannell Signs Ltd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 125, Private Parent
Butterfield Signs Ltd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, 108, Private Parent
Merson Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 106, Private Independent
Ace Neon Signs Ltd, Southend-On-Sea, Essex, 96, Private Subsidiary
Active Signs Ltd, Ramsgate, Kent, 88, Private Independent
Sign Specialists Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 85, Private Independent
Ringway Signs Ltd, Horsham, West Sussex, 73, Private Subsidiary
Morelock Signs Ltd, Willenhall, West Midlands, 72, Private Independent
Wood & Wood International Signs Ltd, Exeter, Devon, 68, Private Subsidiary
Chase Signs Ltd, London, 68, Private Subsidiary
Anthony, John, Signs Ltd, Rayleigh, Essex, 65, Private Subsidiary
Fitt Signs Ltd, Norwich, Norfolk, 61, Private Independent
Tara Signs Ltd, Lancing, West Sussex, 54, Private Independent
Spencer Signs Ltd, Hull, North Humberside, 54, Private Independent
Gee-Tee Signs Ltd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 54, Private Independent
Western Screen & Sign Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire, 52, Private Subsidiary
Sovereign Signs Ltd, Hull, North Humberside, 51, Private Subsidiary
Sign Windows Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 50, Private Independent
Saltwell Signs Ltd, Gateshead, Tyne And Wear, 50, Private Parent
Blaze Electronic Signs Ltd, Tonbridge, Kent, 50, Private Subsidiary
Arrow Signs & Services Ltd, Derby, Derbyshire, 50, Private Subsidiary
Anthony, John, Signs (Holdings) Ltd, Rayleigh, Essex, 50, Private Parent
OMEGA Signs Ltd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, 48, Private Independent
Bepa (Signs) Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 45, Private Independent
Benson, Chris, Signs Ltd, Liverpool, Merseyside, 45, Private Independent
Doric Signs Ltd, London, 44, Private Independent
RPG Sign Hire Ltd, West Drayton, Middlesex, 40, Private Independent
Perspective Signs Ltd, Ipswich, Suffolk, 40, Private Subsidiary
Hollywood Signs Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 40, Private Independent
HB Sign Co Ltd (The), London, 40, Private Independent
Cobal Sign Systems Ltd, Newbury, Berkshire, 40, Private Independent
Admiral Signs of Hull Ltd, Hessle, North Humberside, 40, Private Independent
Frodsham Sign & Display Ltd, St Helens, Merseyside, 39, Private Subsidiary
Rivermeade Signs Ltd, London, 38, Private Subsidiary
Signs BY Morrell Ltd, Wirral, Merseyside, 36, Private Independent
Stewart Signs Ltd, Eastleigh, Hampshire, 35, Private Independent
Northampton Signs Ltd, Northampton, Northamptonshire, 35, Private Subsidiary
MG Signs Ltd, Northampton, Northamptonshire, 35, Private Independent
Harrisons Signs Ltd, York, North Yorkshire, 35, Private Independent
Rydon Signs Ltd, Exeter, Devon, 31, Private Parent
Display Signs Ltd, Uxbridge, Middlesex, 31, Private Independent
Technical Sign Co Ltd, Watford, Hertfordshire, 30, Private Independent
SR Signs Ltd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, 30, Private Independent
Signs Express Ltd, Norwich, Norfolk, 30, Private Parent
S & J Signs & Graphics Ltd, Wednesbury, West Midlands, 30, Private Independent
R & D Signs Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 30, Private Independent
Professional Sign Systems Ltd, Gateshead, Tyne And Wear, 30, Private Subsidiary
Perton, A, Signs Ltd, London, 30, Private Independent
Midland Signs (Leicester) Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 30, Private Independent
Hi-Lite Signs Ltd, Louth, Lincolnshire, 30, Private Independent
Hi-Glow Signs Ltd, Louth, Lincolnshire, 30, Private Independent
Escott Signs Ltd, Gateshead, Tyne And Wear, 30, Private Independent
Vista Signs Ltd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 28, Private Subsidiary
Etchells Signs (Leicester) Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 28, Private Independent
Camberley Sign Co Ltd, Yateley, Hampshire, 28, Private Independent
Info Sign Systems Ltd, Edinburgh, Midlothian, 26, Private Independent
Westmorland Signs International Ltd, Kendal, Cumbria, 25, Private Independent
Sygnet Signs Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 25, Private Independent
Gilmore Signs Ltd, Belfast, County Antrim, 25, Private Subsidiary
Cabot Signs Ltd, Bristol, Avon, 25, Private Independent
Astra Signs Ltd, Manchester, Lancashire, 25, Private Independent
Applied Signs Ltd, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire, 25, Private Independent
Selway Signs Ltd, Belper, Derbyshire, 24, Private Parent
Marden Signs & Designs Ltd, Benfleet, Essex, 24, Private Independent
Harris Sign Group Ltd, Coventry, West Midlands, 24, Private Parent
PJ Signs Ltd, Wickford, Essex, 23, Private Independent
VITAL Signs Ltd, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, 21, Private Subsidiary
Town & Country Signs Ltd, London, 21, Private Subsidiary
Russell Signs Ltd, Ilford, Essex, 21, Private Independent
Hill Mason Signs Ltd, Camberley, Surrey, 21, Private Subsidiary
Tipper, Peter, Signs & Plates Ltd, Rochford, Essex, 20, Private Independent
Shelley Signs Ltd, Market Drayton, Shropshire, 20, Private Independent
Olympiad Signs Ltd, London, 20, Private Independent
Limelight Signs Ltd, Bacup, Lancashire, 20, Private Subsidiary
Centre Signs (Leicester) Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 20, Private Independent
Burnham Signs Ltd, London, 20, Private Subsidiary
Ashby Signs Ltd, Reading, Berkshire, 20, Private Independent
Alpen Signs Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 20, Private Independent
DAW Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 19, Private Independent
Caterham Signs Ltd, Croydon, Surrey, 19, Private Independent
Gould Auto Plates & Sign Ltd, Bristol, Avon, 18, Private Independent
FX Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 18, Private Independent
Tate, Robert, Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 17, Private Independent
Eagle Signs Ltd, Plymouth, Devon, 17, Private Independent
Contract Sign Systems Ltd, Redruth, Cornwall, 17, Private Independent
Cedenco Signs Ltd, Watford, Hertfordshire, 16, Private Independent
Bolton Sign Contractors Ltd, Bolton, Lancashire, 16, Private Independent
Wright Signs & Coachworks Ltd, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, 15, Private Independent
Traffic & Commercial Signs Ltd, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, 15, Private Independent
Palace Perma-Signs Ltd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 15, Private Independent
Kestrel Signs (Midlands) Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 15, Private Independent
Hudson Signs Ltd, Ipswich, Suffolk, 15, Private Independent
Forward Signs Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 15, Private Independent
Dorling Signs Ltd, London, 15, Private Independent
Bull Signs (International) Ltd, Gatwick, Surrey, 15, Private Parent
Barker Signs Ltd, Stamford, Lincolnshire, 15, Private Independent
Amalgamated Signs Ltd, Hyde, Cheshire, 15, Private Independent
Wildan Sign Services Ltd, Tamworth, Staffordshire, 14, Private Independent
Screenprint Signs Ltd, Warrington, Cheshire, 13, Private Independent
Brighton Sign Co Ltd, Brighton, East Sussex, 13, Private Independent
WM Sign Consultants Ltd, Harlow, Essex, 12, Private Independent
Totty, Brian, Signs & Design Ltd, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, 12, Private Independent
Stalite Signs Ltd, Exeter, Devon, 12, Private Independent
Sapphire Signs Ltd, Hull, North Humberside, 12, Private Parent
Opus Signs Ltd, Hertford, Hertfordshire, 12, Private Independent
JR Signs & Printing Ltd, Widnes, Cheshire, 12, Private Independent
Hickman Signs Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 12, Private Independent
Gossie Signs Ltd, London, 12, Private Independent
Frome Sign Co Ltd, Frome, Somerset, 12, Private Independent
City Signs (Midlands) Ltd, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, 12, Private Independent
Alpha Signs (Northampton) Ltd, Northampton, Northamptonshire, 12, Private Independent
AD Signs & Engraving Ltd, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, 12, Private Independent
Taylor Signs Ltd, Lisburn, County Antrim, 11, Private Subsidiary
Rye Signs Ltd, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, 11, Private Subsidiary
Remco Signs Ltd, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, 11, Private Independent
Prestige Number Plates & Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 11, Private Independent
Medash Signs Ltd, Ashford, Kent, 11, Private Independent
Jubb, R A, (Signs) Ltd, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, 11, Private Independent
Harmony Signs & Design Services Ltd, Paignton, Devon, 11, Private Independent
Citaglen (Signs) Ltd, Melksham, Wiltshire, 11, Private Independent
Castleton Signs Ltd, London, 11, Private Independent
Victory Signs (Newcastle) Ltd, Cramlington, Northumberland, 10, Private Independent
ULTRA Signs Ltd, Luton, Bedfordshire, 10, Private Independent
Trojan Signs Ltd, Walton-On-Thames, Surrey, 10, Private Independent
TM Safety Signs Ltd, Taunton, Somerset, 10, Private Independent
Standard Signs & Traffic Systems Ltd, Newport, Gwent, 10, Private Independent
MBC Signs (London) Ltd, London, 10, Private Independent
Hunter Signs Ltd, Newport, Gwent, 10, Private Independent
Global Signs & Engraving Ltd, Lowestoft, Suffolk, 10, Private Independent
First Signs Ltd, Nelson, Lancashire, 10, Private Independent
Electro Signs Ltd, London, 10, Private Independent
Concept Sign & Display Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 10, Private Independent
City Signs & Display Ltd, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Tyne And Wear, 10, Private Independent
Signs & Equipment Ltd, Newtownards, County Down, 9, Private Independent
Sign Studio Ltd (The), Bristol, Avon, 9, Private Independent
Palm Sign Systems Ltd, Holywell, Clwyd, 9, Private Subsidiary
McGowan Signs Ltd, Keighley, West Yorkshire, 9, Private Independent
Grafix Sign Makers Ltd, Carlisle, Cumbria, 9, Private Independent
Airfield Signs & Markings Ltd, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, 9, Private Subsidiary
Supplylines & Signs Ltd, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 8, Private Independent
Sterling Signs Ltd, London, 8, Private Independent
South East Sign Services Ltd, Brighton, East Sussex, 8, Private Independent
Sign PLUS Ltd, Dunfermline, Fife, 8, Private Independent
Sign ON Scotland Ltd, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, 8, Private Independent
Sign & Design Ltd, Keighley, West Yorkshire, 8, Private Independent
Sign & Blind Design Centre Ltd (The), Morden, Surrey, 8, Private Independent
Richard Signs Ltd, Rugby, Warwickshire, 8, Private Independent
Maidstone Signs Ltd, Aylesford, Kent, 8, Private Independent
Imagine Signs Ltd, Edinburgh, Midlothian, 8, Private Independent
Dixon, Jon, Signs Ltd, Banbury, Oxfordshire, 8, Private Independent
Allied Signs Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 8, Private Subsidiary
Wellington Signs & Designs Ltd, Southampton, Hampshire, 7, Private Independent
Triwonder Signs Ltd, Sevenoaks, Kent, 7, Private Independent
Traffic Sign Contracting Ltd, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire, 7, Private Independent
Sign Trade (Europe) Ltd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 7, Private Independent
Sign Promotions Ltd, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, 7, Private Independent
Sign Metals & Plastics Ltd, Birmingham, West Midlands, 7, Private Independent
Sign House Ltd (The), Leeds, West Yorkshire, 7, Private Independent
Rolls, B P, Signs & Graphics Ltd, Andover, Hampshire, 7, Private Independent
Orbital Signs Ltd, Watford, Hertfordshire, 7, Private Independent
Opal Signs Ltd, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, 7, Private Independent
Impact 3D Signs Ltd, Boldon Colliery, Tyne And Wear, 7, Private Independent
Freestyle Sign & Graphics Ltd, Northampton, Northamptonshire, 7, Private Independent
Celtic Sports Signs Ltd, Swansea, West Glamorgan, 7, Private Independent
XPress Signs Ltd, London, 6, Private Independent
The Sign Shop Portsmouth Ltd, Oxted, Surrey, 6, Private Independent
Sign Trading Ltd, London, 6, Private Independent
Sign Easy Ltd, Woking, Surrey, 6, Private Independent
Sign D Sign Ltd, Belfast, County Antrim, 6, Private Independent
Plastic Letters & Signs Ltd, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, 6, Private Independent
Original Sign Works Co Ltd (The), Salisbury, Wiltshire, 6, Private Independent
Millenneon Sign Makers (UK) Ltd, London, 6, Private Independent
JW Signs Ltd, Blackpool, Lancashire, 6, Private Independent
ETL Sign Systems Ltd, Sandy, Bedfordshire, 6, Private Independent
Whitaker Signs Ltd, Reading, Berkshire, 5, Private Independent
VITAL Signs 2000 Ltd, St. Austell, Cornwall, 5, Private Independent
Sign-TEC Services Ltd, Wadhurst, East Sussex, 5, Private Independent
Sign Systems (Scotland) Ltd, Glenrothes, Fife, 5, Private Independent
Sign Co Ltd (The), Newport, Isle Of Wight, 5, Private Independent
Ray Signs Ltd, Dover, Kent, 5, Private Independent
Paragon Signs & Designs Ltd, Stalybridge, Lancashire, 5, Private Independent
Myrene Signs Ltd, London, 5, Private Independent
McBride Signs & Engraving Services Ltd, Inverness, Inverness-Shire, 5, Private Independent
Jaro Signs Ltd, Basildon, Essex, 5, Private Independent
Harper Signs Ltd, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Tyne And Wear, 5, Private Independent
Falcon Signs Ltd, Wantage, Oxfordshire, 5, Private Independent
Designer Sign Co Ltd (The), Verwood, Dorset, 5, Private Independent
Almik Signs Ltd, London, 5, Private Independent
Alba Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 5, Private Independent
Abee Signs (London) Ltd, London, 5, Private Independent
Village Green Signs Ltd, Watford, Hertfordshire, 4, Private Independent
The Sign Shop Horsham Ltd, Oxted, Surrey, 4, Private Independent
Sign-Tronic Ltd, Liphook, Hampshire, 4, Private Independent
Sign Services (Wales) Ltd, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, 4, Private Independent
Sign Holdings Ltd, Ripon, North Yorkshire, 4, Private Parent
Ses Signs Ltd, Morden, Surrey, 4, Private Independent
Raccoon Signs & Display Ltd, Edenbridge, Kent, 4, Private Independent
Peter Orchard Signs Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, 4, Private Independent
NorthWest Sign Supplies Ltd, Blackpool, Lancashire, 4, Private Independent
Midland Sign Systems Ltd, Northampton, Northamptonshire, 4, Private Subsidiary
General Sign Co Ltd (The), London, 4, Private Independent
Future Signs & Graphics Ltd, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, 4, Private Independent
Able Sign Maintenance Ltd, Bristol, Avon, 4, Private Independent
21st Century Signs & Designs Ltd, Walsall, West Midlands, 4, Private Independent
Signs in Motion Ltd, Salisbury, Wiltshire, 3, Private Independent
Signs & Designs Ltd, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, 3, Private Independent
Pama Sign Services Ltd, Peacehaven, East Sussex, 3, Private Independent
Outreach Sign Services Ltd, Leicester, Leicestershire, 3, Private Independent
Marshall Trophies & Signs Ltd, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, 3, Private Independent
Cestrian Signs Ltd, Chester, Cheshire, 3, Private Independent
Capricorn Signs.com Ltd, Redhill, Surrey, 3, Private Independent
Brock Signs Ltd, Manchester, Lancashire, 3, Private Independent
Walker Sign & Street Furniture Erectors Ltd, Winsford, Cheshire, 2, Private Independent
Signs Group Management Ltd, Crowborough, East Sussex, 2, Private Independent
Pirin Signs Ltd, Wembley, Middlesex, 2, Private Subsidiary
Morris & Laken Signs Ltd, London, 2, Private Independent
MC Signs Ltd, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, 2, Private Independent
Marking Services Signs Ltd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, 2, Private Independent
K Sign North West Ltd, Manchester, Lancashire, 2, Private Independent
Instant Signs Ltd, Sale, Cheshire, 2, Private Independent
Corporate Graphics (Signs & Print) Ltd, Tonbridge, Kent, 2, Private Independent
Capital Signs Ltd, London, 2, Private Independent
British Sign & Graphics Association Ltd, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, 2, Private Independent
Barrett Inter-Signs Co Ltd (The), Birmingham, West Midlands, 2, Private Independent
Action Signs Ltd, Hull, North Humberside, 2, Private Independent
Sign Installations Ltd, London, 1, Private Independent
Ashby Trade Sign Supplies Ltd, Reading, Berkshire, ?, Private Independent
TM Safety Signs (Taunton) Ltd, Taunton, Somerset, NA, Private Independent
The Vinyl Corp (Decalkraft Signs) Ltd, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NA, Private Independent
The Sign Team (Peterborough) Ltd, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, NA, Private Independent
T Signs Ltd, Salisbury, Wiltshire, NA, Private Independent
Star Signs & Blinds Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
Silk Signs Ltd, Farnborough, Hampshire, NA, Private Independent
Signs & Lighting Services Ltd, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, NA, Private Independent
Sign Graphic Design Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
Sign Gear Systems Ltd, Redditch, Worcestershire, NA, Private Independent
Sanbar Signs (Southend) Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
Reade Signs Ltd, Alton, Hampshire, NA, Private Independent
Print & Sign Design Ltd, Maldon, Essex, NA, Private Independent
Phoenix Signs (UK) Ltd, Margate, Kent, NA, Private Independent
PGM Signs Ltd, Northwood, Middlesex, NA, Private Independent
N Signs Ltd, Stourbridge, West Midlands, NA, Private Independent
Ms Signs Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
Mitchell Signs (2000) Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
MDRC Signs & Graphics Ltd, Wimborne, Dorset, NA, Private Independent
Lofthus Signs & Engraving Ltd, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, NA, Private Independent
Lewis Howes (Signs & Engraving) Ltd, Liverpool, Merseyside, NA, Private Independent
Just Sign Hamann Ltd, Liverpool, Merseyside, NA, Private Independent
ID Signs (Scotland) Ltd, Hamilton, Lanarkshire, NA, Private Independent
Howarth Signs (UK) Ltd, Derby, Derbyshire, NA, Private Independent
Glasplas Signs Ltd, Oldham, Lancashire, NA, Private Independent
Galasso Signs Ltd, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, NA, Private Independent
Euro Signs Ltd, West Drayton, Middlesex, NA, Private Independent
Concorde Graphics & Signs Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
Carnegie Signs Ltd, Edinburgh, Midlothian, NA, Private Subsidiary
Bullough Signs Ltd, Chorley, Surrey, NA, Private Independent
Beard, David, Sign Associates Ltd, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, NA, Private Independent
Avonmouth Signs Ltd, Bristol, Avon, NA, Private Independent
Associated Signs Ltd, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, NA, Private Independent
Assignments, The Sign Co Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
All About Signs Ltd, Portsmouth, Hampshire, NA, Private Independent
Agd Signs Ltd, Hull, North Humberside, NA, Private Independent
Active Sign Maintenance Ltd, Ramsgate, Kent, NA, Private Independent
Aaron Signs & Constructional Services Ltd, London, NA, Private Independent
A & RE Sign Services Ltd, Bradford, West Yorkshire, NA, Private Independent
1 Stop Signs Ltd, Southampton, Hampshire, NA, Private Independent

[Robert Lambie]

i knew i posted this at some point. 😕
anyway, here is a cut and paste from a post i made in april 2003.
it may have varied slightly by now, but i think it goves a clear indication who the big boys are. 😉

Did you know the most valuable sign companies
in the UK are:-

According to a survey carried out by plimsoll,
the following companies are regarded as the most valuable
in the industry.

1, glasdon group ltd

2, pearce signs group ltd

3, blaze acquisitions ltd

4, hawes group ltd

5, oldsigncorp ltd

6, signature ltd

7, supersine holdings group ltd

8, modulex systems ltd

9, the redforrest group ltd

10, ace neon signs ltd

37% of the Top 619 companies in the UK Signs & Nameplates industry have spent the last 3 years gradually increasing their levels of debt. These companies are now faced with severe commercial disadvantage: debt is threatening their survival in the industry and exposing them as potential acquisition opportunities.

_____________________________________________________

intresting post mack-d, not sure just how accurate it is though mate.
this maybe a different thing entirely but i remember a phone call from a ceratin company, cant remember who exactly. but they were publishing info on sign companies etc. & wanted to know this and that… nothing to much other than what you have listed there.
at the time we employed 17 people full time.
later that day, a similar phone call made was taken by a new girl, when asked how many people work “with her” she said 4 including her. (she meant in office only, dimwit :lol1: )
another similar phone call taken by another office girl asked exactly same questions. this time she said i guess about 13 or 14 maybe more.
when sent a copy of this publication i had a look at it.
it gave our name and our “sales line for glasgow north” employees 17
then our company name again, but for “glasgow south” employees 4
next we were listed agin but this time (scotland) ltd added to our name and employess 13.

the fact is, we have one depot. but with various sales numbers for different locations around central scotland. but if you call any, you still get the same office. due to who they spoke to & how they asked each time they were given inaccurate details.
having read the above, i see companies that i know of pretty well & staff in some are less than half listed.
having said that, some listed may fall well short also.
anyway, i know you said just use it for an indication, but thought i would mention it.. 😕 :lol1:

[Guy Burt-Davies]

Robert,

I think your comments about the accuracy of surveys by companies like Plimsoll are borne out by the fact that out of your list of 10 companies, 4 are holding companies whose figures will include the input from more than one sign company, 1 makes bollards, street lights and road signs, 1 is a GRP fabrication company that wouldn’t like being called a sign company at all and one doesn’t exist any more! So 4 out of 10 for the ‘industry analysts’ – who’d pay for duff advice like this?

Macky D’s list is a bit more like it but I still stand by the accuracy of the list in my first posting – but then I’m an arrogant little s*!t :lol1:

[budone]

Don’t you think holding companies are great??

They can screw suppliers/sub contractors over close up the business and the very same day open up again all be it with a very small name change.

they can have as many companies as they like to take advantage of tax breaks etc….

Macky D’s list was interesting as i noticed some names on there that are nothing but small outfits, and other names that are by far bigger but don’t seem to appear. Would be interesting to know how this info is obtained/collated