Its master licence was purchased in January 2016 by new UK director Aliyyah-Begum Nasser and her father Salim Giga, who also now own the Harrow Signarama Business Support Centre.

Buying a franchise costs £150,000 and Signarama can help to arrange funding of up to £100,000.

The master licence for Signarama UK was purchased after the previous owners fell into ill health and Giga had a chance meeting with Signarama global president Jim Tatem at an exhibition in Miami at the end of last year.

The UK branch currently has 10 franchisees, and Nasser said she had spent the period between January and June meeting with the franchisees and developing a strategy to grow the brand's UK presence before regrouping and officially issuing the call for more franchisees last Friday (30 September).

Nasser said the business had been stable before she became the master licensee but not necessarily heading towards growth.

She said: “My father came home from the US very excited, talking about essentially combining his print experience with my business experience and we felt it would be a really good match to take on the brand in the UK and drive it forwards to get its full potential.

“We were formally appointed in January, but spent the first six months before trade show season working with the network. The key thing with franchise networks is the relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee, so before we go external we decided that we wanted to focus on our networks and understand their needs. 

“There are two ways we will look for new franchisees, those interested in business and looking for a new challenge, or people from within the industry, who would like to strengthen their business and develop it further.

“I think the key areas for me we can offer are training, R&D support and ensuring the longevity of a business. When you join the network, for example, you will get access to equipment at a preferential rate.”

Signarama has 900 stores across the world, with headquarters in Florida. Franchisees have the oppportunity to go to Florida for a two-week training course, which is supplemented by onsite training at the Business Support Centre in Harrow.

Nasser previously worked as a business consultant before joining her family business in the care sector in 2012. Giga has been in the print trade for 25 years. 

Signarama calls itself the world's largest sign franchise and produces a range of signs, graphics and banner. It has offices in 50 countries.