Award-winning Franchisor Expanding into More Urban, Downtown Markets As Demand for Comprehensive Signage and Visual Communications Solutions Soars

CARROLLTON, Texas — FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced it is aggressively targeting franchise growth throughout the Northeast, particularly in urban, downtown markets as the demand for comprehensive signage and visual communications solutions continues to grow rapidly.

Over the next few months, FASTSIGNS will open new centers in downtown Mineola/Westbury on Long Island and in White Plains, New York. In 2018, FASTSIGNS opened its first location in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, as well as additional centers in cities like East Brunswick, New Jersey; Patchogue, New York; and South Burlington, Vermont. The downtown Hartford location celebrated its Grand Opening on April 30th.

FASTSIGNS is currently seeking qualified entrepreneurs to grow the brand in other urban areas throughout the Northeast, such as New York City; Buffalo; Meriden, Danbury and Norwalk in Connecticut; Cranston and Providence, Rhode Island; Boston area and Holyoke, Massachusetts; Nashua, New Hampshire; and Portland, Maine, among others.

“FASTSIGNS’ business model is focused on providing custom marketing and graphics solutions for local businesses, so franchisees that operate centers in urban areas are well-positioned to serve the countless organizations right in their backyard,” said Mark Jameson, Executive Vice President of Franchise Support and Development. “Whether a new center, conversion, or co-brand, FASTSIGNS franchisees in these areas continue to experience strong sales and growth.”

Franchisee Shishir Mehta has owned and operated a FASTSIGNS center in Waltham, Massachusetts, for 17 years.

“When I was considering making the transition to be an entrepreneur, franchising made a lot of sense. There’s a proven model, so you’re set up for success,” said Mehta. “I loved FASTSIGNS because of its strong track record, and it was a similar B2B, relationship-focused environment I was used to from having worked in IT sales. I’ve always enjoyed helping customers, and with FASTSIGNS, there’s no limit to how big my business can become. We serve every industry, from foodservice and education to healthcare and finance. The product line is so deep that you can offer so many different solutions to the customer. It’s exciting.”

FASTSIGNS is continuing to grow worldwide with a focus on the Northeastern United States and Southern California, as well as finding master franchisees for Québec, New Zealand, Brazil, North Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Europe, and Latin America. For any existing business looking to expand into this fast-paced market, FASTSIGNS offers co-brand and conversion programs to help owners diversify their product lines and services to meet the growing demand for comprehensive signage and visual communications solutions. FASTSIGNS has helped countless owners of print shops, photography studios, camera stores, embroidery shops, and more, add a FASTSIGNS to their existing business or fully convert their store to a FASTSIGNS franchise. FASTSIGNS franchisees receive ongoing training and support to stay ahead of the competition and exceed the needs of their local business community. Both the co-brand franchise opportunity and conversion can be started with only $15,000 down on the initial franchise fee.

FASTSIGNS is known in the industry for equipping its franchisees with tools vital to securing the ongoing success of each individual location. In 2018, FASTSIGNS announced the launch of its partnership with 1HUDDLE, a workforce-training platform that converts unique training content into science-backed, quick-burst training games that are proven to accelerate workforce productivity. Additionally, FASTSIGNS announced the launch of a special incentive for first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters, which includes a 50-percent reduction on the franchise fee — a savings of $24,875.

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. was ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and 95 overall on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2019 Franchise 500®, the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Acknowledged by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise 500® recognizes FASTSIGNS, the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100, for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate, and brand power. FASTSIGNS also made Franchise Direct‘s list of the Top 100 Franchises 2019 and ranked #2 on this year’s Franchise Gator Top 100 list, both ranking the best franchises for 2019. FASTSIGNS also has been ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the “Best of the Best” for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years. Additionally, FASTSIGNS also was named to Franchise Business Review’s “Innovative Franchises” list in 2017 and a “Best-in-Category” franchise by Franchise Business Review in 2018. In 2019, the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) awarded FASTSIGNS International, Inc. the Franchisees’ Choice Designation for the seventh consecutive year for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee training and support.

About FASTSIGNS®

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 700 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS® centers in nine countries including the United States, Canada, Chile, England, Grand Cayman, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE®). Locations are slated to open in two additional countries – Malta and Spain – in 2019.

FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive signage and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, promote their products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points.

FASTSIGNS centers provide architectural and interior decor graphics, fleet vehicle graphics, digital signs and digital signage content, event graphics, displays, banners, posters, ADA signage, safety and identification signs and much more, as well as handle everything from design to project management to installation.

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is a recipient of many awards, including being ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 for the past three years, and Best-in-Category in the business services sector on Franchise Business Review’s list of the top 200 franchises for multiple years.

Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com.

Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns, Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS.