Franchising details
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 yourselfWith 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 businessRecognition 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 costThere 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
Franchise costs and details
Training and support
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.