COMPANY SPOTLIGHT | SIGNS NOW With over 28 years of experience in the industry, Signs Now is a company that once again demonstrates the commitment and loyalty of members of the signage industry. In 2022 Signs Now celebrated its 25th year of trading, a celebration which has led to continued growth for the company with long-running clients such as the NHS, and Hilton and Crown Plaza hotel chains. At the start of the year, managing director for Signs Now, Bill Dunphy, said: “Our financial performance for 2024 was strong thanks to the team delivering on a series of large-scale projects, and we are well-positioned to build on this in 2025. “Last year saw us continue to win new clients and repeat business based on our solid reputation for delivering high standards. What sets us apart from competitors is our 27 years of experience in manufacturing bespoke signage and our ability to deliver projects to clients on both a very local and an international scale.” Dunphy added: “We look forward to a positive 2025 on the back of a very strong end to 2024.” Nearly a year later we catch up with Dunphy and the team at Signs Now and learn abouts its history and company values. Starting Off Owned by both Bill Dunphy and his wife, Therese, Signs Now began in 1997 as a joint venture by Dunphy and a colleague from Lyreco, a large office supplies company which Dunphy was previously the finance director for. Dunphy and his colleague knew they wanted to set up their own business, and after exploring different markets, eventually settled on signage, despite neither one having experience in the industry. Since setting up the business, Dunphy and his wife have purchased all the shares of the company and continued to Following several years of growth and celebrations, David Osgar and Jonathan Pert speak to Bill Dunphy from Signs Now about how his sign company has grown and evolved From Wall Art to Digital Billboards grow Signs Now to what it is today. The company now operates with 22 members of staff, with Therese looking after the finances and the many accredited systems the company needs to operate with, while Bill Dunphy takes care of the rest of the business. Speaking about how the company has changed, Dunphy says: “Before Covid-19, we had 36 staff across four branches. Now, with 22 staff in one location, we’ve had to become even more efficient to cover our growing workload. It’s amazing to see our sales grow by over 20% since 2020 but using 14 fewer staff. I never thought it possible.” The changes since the pandemic reflect some of the big changes that took place across the signage industry during the pandemic, in which many businesses restructured and focused on specific areas or parts of the business. Signs Now decided to centralise operations in Wolverhampton but still provide a fast local service to anywhere in the UK. 1997 – The business began in March 1997 22 – Signs Now operates with 22 members of staff £3m – The company is approaching £3m in annual turnover 20 years – Many staff members have been with the company for 20 years 7000sqft – Signs Now’s office measures 7,000sq ft in size Statistics ▼ Signs Now is based in Wolverhampton 35 www.signlink.co.uk Issue 261 - October / November 2025
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