- 30 November, 2006 -

Signs Now, the Bradenton-grown sign-making franchise, said that 2006 has been a booming year. The company, bought last year by Michigan's Allegra Network LLC, said that its sales and franchise growth has been the highest in more than 10 years. The company, with 210 franchise businesses in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, said that it stands to gain 20 new franchises, taking its total to 230. Meanwhile, Signs Now's same-store sales have risen roughly 15 percent this year. The company's annual revenues are about $85 million. Managers have recruited new franchise owners in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Signs Now President Steve White attributed the same-store sales growth to programs that the company offers franchisees, including business-to-business marketing initiatives, a "profit mastery" program and market positions and branding, "The increases in sales and development are a direct result of the exciting and unique programs we offer potential franchisees, including business-to-business marketing initiatives, our profit mastery program and high-end market positioning and branding," said White. The company is in the midst of planning its future strategy, recently completing a brand research study. "We will use the information gained from this brand research to strengthen the company, and we look forward to seeing the results begin to filter through our network," White said in a statement on Wednesday. The company, now a division of Allegra, moved its headquarters to a larger operation at 6976 Professional Parkway East earlier this year. That gave Signs Now 6,000 square feet of additional space for its 20 main office employees. The Lakewood Ranch site also houses an international training center that serves the 240 stores in the company's network. Signs Now was founded as a single store in Bradenton in 1983. Allegra Network LLC, a Northville, Mich.-based company founded in 1976, bills itself as within the top 200 in sales among all franchise companies in the world. Besides Signs Now, its brands include Allegra Print & Imaging, American Speedy Printing, Instant Copy, Insty-Prints, Speedy Printing and Zippy Print.

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