Shop signage for small retailers

Good shop signage for small retailers does four jobs: it tells people the shop is there, what it sells, when it is open and what is on offer this week. In practice that means a sign above the door, graphics on the window, a pavement board by the entrance and a few temporary banners for openings and sales, plus small print inside such as posters and swing tags. Below is what each job needs, the sizes and materials that suit it, and real “from” prices from our range.

Shop signage for small retailers, job by job #

Job	Product	Typical size	From
Name above the door	Shop sign, 5 mm Foamex or 3 mm Dibond	1000 × 500 mm to custom sizes up to 2440 × 1220 mm	£23.66 (A4)
Window and door glass	Shop window graphics, matt adhesive vinyl	300 mm to 1 m squares and circles	£5.95
Pavement	A-frame pavement sign, frame with 2 posters	A2 (420 × 594 mm) or A1 (594 × 841 mm)	£124.20
Openings and sales	PVC banner, 440gsm	4 ft × 2 ft (1219 × 610 mm) upwards	£38.45
Inside the shop	Posters, floor stickers, swing tags	A5 to A0 posters, 300 mm to 1 m floor graphics	£20.42

If the budget only stretches to two items, start with the door sign and the window. They work every hour of the day, including when the shutters are down, while a banner or A-board only works when it is out.

The sign above the door #

Our shop signs are printed flat panels in two materials. 5 mm Foamex is light, low cost and easy to fix, and suits a sheltered fascia or an indoor wall. 3 mm Dibond is an aluminium composite: rigid, weatherproof and the better choice for a sign that stays outside for good. Standard sizes run from A4 (210 × 297 mm) at £23.66 up to A0 (841 × 1189 mm) and 1000 × 1000 mm, and custom sizes go up to 2440 × 1220 mm. Standard production is 3 working days to dispatch.

The options worth thinking about are drilled corners (top two or all four) for screw fixing, matt or gloss lamination on the face, and profile cutting if you want the panel cut to a shape. Matt reads better under shop lights and low winter sun because it cuts glare. We print flat panels only: we do not make illuminated signs or built-up letters, so for those you need a local sign fitter.

Measuring the fascia

Measure the flat area you can actually fix to, not the whole shopfront, and allow for any frame or trim around it. Then keep the wording to three things: the shop name, what you sell in a few words, and a phone number or website. The name should be the largest element by a wide margin. Our note on letter height and viewing distance shows how big text needs to be to read from across the road, and Foamex, Dibond or Correx compares the boards in more depth.

Window graphics and opening hours #

Shop window graphics are printed in our Manchester workshop on monomeric matt adhesive vinyl and cut as squares, circles or squares with rounded corners. A 300 × 300 mm square or 300 mm circle starts at £5.95, 500 mm at £9.84 and a 1000 × 1000 mm square at £28.08, with custom sizes such as 2000 × 1000 mm for bigger panes. A round logo on the door glass and a strip with your opening times at eye level cover the basics for most small shops.

For glass wider than 1 m, plan the design across the panes so a glazing bar never cuts through a word. Apply vinyl to clean, dry glass on a mild day; our guide on how to apply vinyl stickers walks through it. If you would rather have a panel, an Opening Hours sign starts at £5.28 for A4 in self-adhesive vinyl and is also made on 3 mm Foamex or Dibond for the wall beside the door.

Pavement signs #

A-frame pavement signs come as a frame with two posters: A2 (420 × 594 mm) from £124.20 or A1 (594 × 841 mm) from £184.01, with standard production of 5 working days. You can print the same design on both sides or two different ones, for example the shop name on one face and this week’s offer on the other. Replacement posters start at £34.46, so you can change the message without buying a new frame; check whether your frame is A2 or A1 first.

For a wider forecourt, forecourt pavement signs take A1 (594 × 841 mm) or A0 (841 × 1189 mm) posters printed on PVC banner, from £43.56, with or without the pavement stand. Fill the base as instructed so it stays put in wind.

Of all the shop signage for small retailers, the A-board is the one councils watch most closely. Many require permission or a licence for boards on the public pavement, and some do not allow them at all, so check with yours before you put one out. Leave a clear path for wheelchairs, buggies and people with sight loss, and take the board in at closing time.

Banners for openings, sales and closing down #

Temporary banners are the lowest-cost way to make a lot of noise for a few weeks. We Are Open banners, sale banners and closing down sale banners are printed on 440gsm PVC with eyelets, from £38.45 for 4 ft × 2 ft (1219 × 610 mm). An 8 ft × 3 ft (2438 × 914 mm) banner, from £68.33, fits under the fascia of many small units, and 10 ft × 3 ft (3048 × 914 mm), from £79.99, suits a wider frontage. Standard production is 4 working days. A banner over 3 m on any side adds a one-off £15 oversize delivery charge.

Keep sale wording short: the offer, the dates and the shop name. Make the percentage or price the biggest thing on the banner, and only advertise a saving you can back up, because misleading price claims can break consumer protection law. For sizing, see what size banner do I need.

Inside the shop #

• Posters: from £20.42 for A5, with A1 (594 × 841 mm) from £24.02. Satin paper suits frames; PVC suits a damp porch or a board outside.
• Floor stickers: 300 mm and 500 mm squares and circles, or a 1 m circle, from £42.32, for a queue point at the till or an arrow to another department. Lay them on clean, dry, smooth floors.
• Swing tags: 50 × 50 mm, 65 × 65 mm or 50 × 90 mm on premium matt, kraft or linen card, from £34.68. The hole is punched, but string or ribbon is not supplied.
• Tent cards: for the counter, from £10.76 for a DL triangle with three faces.
• Business cards: 85 × 55 mm from £20, to drop in every bag.
• CCTV sign: if you record, tell people. A CCTV in Operation in This Store sign starts at £5.28 for A4 vinyl.

This is the quiet end of shop signage for small retailers, but it is where a first-time visitor decides whether to come back.

Planning permission and your landlord #

Shop signs, banners and A-boards shown outdoors count as outdoor advertisements under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007. Many ordinary shop signs can go up without an application, but size, height, lighting and conservation areas can all change that, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules. Check with your local planning authority before a permanent fascia goes up. If you rent, read your lease too: many need the landlord’s consent for signs.

Ordering shop signage for small retailers #

Allow for the slowest item. Standard production is 3 working days for shop signs, 4 for banners, 5 for A-boards and 7 for floor stickers, counted from when your order and artwork are confirmed, and courier delivery usually takes 1 to 3 working days after dispatch. UK mainland delivery is £7.95 per order, free when the goods total is £99 or more.

You can design online and approve exactly what you see, or upload your own file for a free file check by a person. If you have a logo but no layout, typesetting costs £15. Our business signs range has the full set of shop signage for small retailers in one place.

Good shop signage for small retailers does not need a big budget: one clear fascia or window message, a pavement board for passing trade and a few printed notices inside cover most shops. Start there and add more shop signage for small retailers as you see what customers notice.

Still not sure what your shopfront needs? Send us a photo and the measurements through get a quote, or call 0161 315 1151.