Vinyl Signshops’ Upward Climb

It may not be the sexiest thing to come out of the 20th century, but vinyl has certainly made its mark on the sign industry since the early 80s, when it became commonly used in signage. Although not all sign-makers fan the vinyl flame, many have found a lucrative niche in the vinyl-sign industry. Signs of the Times‘ biannual survey continues to monitor vinyl signshops’ progress.

Of the 4,000 surveys sent to vinyl signshops, 360 replied for a 9-percent response rate. By comparison, the 1997 survey received only 153 responses for a 4-percent response rate.

Once again, the independent signshops were the most responsive, followed by American Fastsigns. It should be noted, however, that Fastsigns’ President Don Dozier encouraged Fastsigns franchisees to respond to the survey, which resulted in a deluge of additional responses.

Highlights from the survey results follow. Turn to the February, 1999 issue of Signs of the Times for the complete analysis. Or click here for information on purchasing a copy of the February issue.

Sample tables from the survey:

Profile of Respondents
	No. of Responses	Percent of Total Sample
Independent Signshops	232	64.4%
All Franchisees	100	27.8%
American Fastsigns	61	17%
Speedy Sign*A*Rama	20	5.6%
Signs Now	12	3.3%
Other Franchisees	7	1.9%
Licensees	28	7.8%
Sign Biz	13	3.6%
Signworld	6	1.7%
Other Licensees	9	2.5%
Total	360	100%

The Profile of Respondents shows the breakdown of survey participants. Nearly 65 percent of the respondents were independents. Approximately 28 percent hailed from franchisees, of which 17 percent were from American Fastsigns, 5.6 percent from Speedy Sign*A*Rama, 3.3 percent from Signs Now, and 1.9 percent from Signs by Tomorrow, Signs First and Monotag, collectively. And licensees made up 7.8 percent of the pool. The licensees comprised Sign Biz (3.6 percent), Signworld (1.7 percent) and a mixture of L&A Interests, Sign Marketing, Sign Pro and Sign Stop (2.5 percent altogether).

In the last survey, we broke down the independents into two categories: always independent and former franchisees. This year, we give the results of all independent shops, although six of our respondents were formerly franchisees. Additionally, three franchisees reported conversions, saying they were formerly independent and are now part of the Signs Now franchise.

Sales Volume
	No. of Responses	Total 1998 Sales	Average 1998 Sales	Average 1996 Sales
Independent Signshops	221	$56,424,500	$255,314	$168,190
All Franchisees	99	$43,147,000	$435,828	$289,350
Fastsigns	60	$33,570,000	$559,500	$448,475
Sign*A*RamaFastsigns	20	$4,533,000	$226,650	$241,992
Signs Now	12	$3,734,000	$311,167	$338,750
Other FranchiseesSigns Now	7	$1,310,000	$187,142	$142,000
Licensees	28	$11,417,000	$407,750	$189,000
Total	348	$110,988,500	$318,932	$192,714

Whatever vinyl signshops are doing, they’re doing it right, as shown in the Sales Volume table. According to survey respondents, average 1998 sales were $318,932 — more than a 30-percent leap from 1996 sales in our 1997 survey ($192,714 average). Franchisees again showed the highest sales volume ($435,828), with Fastsigns franchisees heading the pack at a $559,500 average, followed by licensees ($407,750), Signs Now stores ($311,167) and independents ($255,314). Sign*A*Rama shops and other franchisees were not far behind with average sales volumes of $226,650 and $187,142, respectively.

In the 1997 survey, Fastsigns franchisees also indicated the highest average sales volume, but independents did not have as strong a showing ($168,190). So independent signshops showed the highest average sales-volume increase from 1996 — 50 percent. Interestingly, Signs Now and Sign*A*Rama stores showed a slight decrease in sales.