FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS®, the leading sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise, announced today it has been ranked as one of the Top 100 Franchises of 2020 by Franchise Gator. Developed to assist prospective franchisees in their search for a franchise opportunity to invest in, the Top 100 Franchises ranked FASTSIGNS as #2 — the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized on this year's list — for its strong growth, financial stability, experience, and several other criteria.

"I've studied hundreds of franchise opportunities, and FASTSIGNS represents all of the traits we look for in a Top 100 franchise," said Eric Bell, General Manager, Franchise Gator and Vice President, Franchise Ventures.  "Congratulations to FASTSIGNS for being an exemplary opportunity among many to choose from."

"This recognition comes on the heels of FASTSIGNS being named the #1 franchise opportunity in our category on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500^®, and we are thrilled to begin 2020 — our 35^th year in business — with such strong validation that FASTSIGNS is the leader in our industry," said Mark Jameson, Executive Vice President of Franchise Support and Development.

FASTSIGNS reported exceptional results in 2019, including the signing of over 35 franchise agreements in the U.S and Canada to develop new, co-branded, and conversion centers and the opening of more than 30 locations. Internationally, FASTSIGNS opened its first locations in Chile, Malta, and France, and signed an additional master franchise agreement to develop centers in the Dominican Republic.

This year, FASTSIGNS is aiming to sign 45+ franchise agreements and enter several new countries. In the U.S., the brand is targeting growth in markets like Michigan, Southern California, Florida, New York City, Boston, and throughout the Northeast Corridor. FASTSIGNS also is continuing to seek qualified candidates to grow its international footprint in target markets throughout the world, including Québec, New Zealand, and Brazil, as well as countries throughout North Africa, Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

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 also offers a special incentive for first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee — a savings of $24,875.

FASTSIGNS is consistently ranked as a top franchise opportunity. In 2020, Entrepreneur magazine named FASTSIGNS the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and #55 overall on its annual Franchise 500^® list, making it the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100. In 2019, Entrepreneur named FASTSIGNS one of the Top Franchises for Veterans. Additionally, in 2019, FASTSIGNS was recognized in Franchise Business Review's Top Franchises for Veterans report, was named to the America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine, and made Franchise Direct's list of the Top 100 Franchises. Franchise Business Review also has recognized FASTSIGNS as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years and its Top 50 Franchises for Women and Top Service Franchise lists 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.

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. celebrates its 35^th anniversary in business in 2020 as 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, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE®).

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 has been ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 for the past four years, a 2019 Top Franchises for Veterans by Franchise Business Review and a 2019 America's Best Franchises to Buy list by Forbes magazine.

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. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).

Franchise Gator, a unit of Dominion Enterprises' Franchise Ventures division, the leading demand generation platform for franchise growth. Launched in 2002, Franchise Gator has offered information on thousands of business and franchise opportunities available in more than 100 categories. Franchise Gator provides franchises with a performance-based model for franchise marketing. For more information, please visit www.GrowWithGator.com.