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Recognition Express Franchise

Specialising in branded corporate products for UK companies; multiple revenue streams. Be part of a £3 billion marketplace.

Nigel Toplis Recognition Express

Interested in Recognition Express ?

Contact Nigel Toplis

Managing Director

or connect with Nigel:

At a Glance

Established: 1979

UK Presence: 43 franchisees in the UK

Average start up cost: £25,000

Min personal contribution: £9,000

Development type: Single-unit franchises

Franchise Membership: bfa Established




Franchise Info

recognition express products

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 over 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 conference
  • Bi-monthly magazine
  • Dedicated extranet
  • Help and advice lines
  • Franchisee websites
  • Procurement

examples of recognition express products

Franchise training

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.”
Adam Findlay, Recognition Express Mid Surrey

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.

examples of recognition express products

What does a Recognition Express franchise 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 package, 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+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

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.

Nigel Toplis Recognition Express

Interested in Recognition Express ?

Contact Nigel Toplis

Managing Director


Click on the link below to receive further information on our franchise opportunity. You can also connect directly with us to ask any questions.

This is FREE and non-obligatory; we never share or sell your personal information.

Success Stories

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Success Story
A Business Built on Motivation and Hard Work

Husband and wife team Stephen and Ciorsdan Price first met over 30 years ago on a blind date organised by their respective cousins. Now 37 years later, and recent recipients of a long service award, they work side by side running Recognition Express West Scotland, one of the top five performing businesses in the network.

Read more
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Success Story
Multi-brand franchisee Stewart Green owns Kall Kwik and Recognition franchise in Suffolk

The Bardon Group offers market-leading opportunities and support for its franchisees. With comprehensive expertise and knowledge gained over 40 years in the business, the Group understands what it takes to help franchisees be successful. One franchisee who has reaped these benefits is Stewart Green who has both a Recognition Express and Kall Kwik franchise in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Read more
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Success Story
Growth is on track for Recognition Express franchisee Hugh O’Neill

Facing redundancy after 20 years in a senior role for a contract caterer, Hugh O’Neill decided it was time to invest in his own future. He put his redundancy payment towards the purchase of a Recognition Express franchise in 2010, and he’s set to reach his target ultimate turnover by 2022. When the time is right, he plans to put the business up for sale and enjoy the fruits of his labour during his retirement.

Read more
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Success Story
Recognition Express is a true family business

Ciorsdan Prince and husband Stephen bought their Recognition Express franchise from her parents in 2003.  Ciorsdan’s parents had been running the business since 1981, and having worked for them part-time, Ciorsdan knew the business inside out and recognised the potential in the business with the growth in company and corporate branding. 

Read more
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Success Story
Interview with Stuart Fisher, Recognition Express, Harrow

Stuart Fisher launched his Recognition Express franchise in Harrow after a career in accountancy and hasn't looked back since. Stuart shares his reasons for going into franchising, what training and support he receives, and what he would advise to those looking into franchising.

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Interview

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Franchisor Interview
Interview with Nigel Toplis, Recognition Express

Recognition Express was established in 1979. Initially the company made only personalised name badges for companies but after a successful expansion of the franchise to incorporate associated products, the company started to look at the Promotional Products market. In this interview Nigel talks about the challenges he had to overcome to get the company to where it is today, and also the successes they have achieved along the way. He also looks at what makes a successful franchisee and Recognition Express plans for the future.

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News

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News
The Bardon Group Boss Boosts Academic Awareness Of Franchising

The franchise sector contributes £17.2 billion annually to the UK’s GDP, yet the business model is still seriously underrepresented in academic circles.

Read more
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News
Recognition Express Gears Up for Summer Season

Recognition Express is all set for its busiest season, as schools and businesses invest in branded merchandise for the coming academic year, and autumn conferences and events.

Read more
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News
Coronation Badge and Bunting Sales Boom

Badges and bunting to commemorate and celebrate the coronation of King Charles III have been flying off the shelves according to branded merchandising business Recognition Express.

Read more
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News
Recognition Express Launches New Branding

Recognition Express has a new look for 2023. Established in 1979, the company introduced Europe to the concept of name badges and has been expanding its range of promotional products and branded clothing ever since.

Read more
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News
Bardon Group Succession Plan on Track

The UK’s leading franchising specialist, The Bardon Group has announced major board-level changes.

Read more
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News
Recognition Express West Scotland Lands National Contract for The Salvation Army Modern Slavery Face Mask Campaign

Face masks designed to spread awareness of modern slavery have been launched by The Salvation Army. The masks have been supplied by Recognition Express West Scotland. October 18  was World Anti-Slavery Day.

Read more


Videos

Synopsis

Recognition Express is a B2B franchise opportunity that helps businesses to improve their brand awareness by supplying them with branded business gifts and personalised promotional products, name badges, staff awards, posters and signs plus a full range of branded clothing.

Leading the way in corporate recognition and promotional products since 1979, Recognition Express is now the largest franchise network for recognition products in Europe.

In a market constantly growing and worth in excess of £3 billion per annum, the majority of the business is repeat business. Become a Recognition Express franchisee if you are looking for a business where excellent long-term relationships, even friendships, are at the heart of the everyday working life.

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