About our business
Sign Trade Supplies has spent more than 35 years supplying the UK sign and display trade. We distribute aluminium profile systems, sign posts, sign channel and specialist sign fixings, backed by a wider range of substrates, tooling, adhesives and surface preparation products. Put simply, we hold the components a sign company needs to build and install a sign, and we get them out of the door quickly. Aluminium is also endlessly recyclable, which keeps it a sensible choice as customers pay closer attention to what their signage is made from.
We work with sign, graphics and display companies of every size. A growing number of print businesses come to us as well, as they move into signage to add a new line of revenue.
What sets us apart is that we are more than a stockist. From our 22,000 square foot warehouse in Sittingbourne, Kent, which holds up to 500 tonnes of aluminium and was purpose-built in 2021, we cut, mitre, drill and convert profiles to order, produce bespoke extrusions, and run online calculators that give sign makers instant pricing. Orders placed by 3pm ship the same day, with a three hour average despatch time. Customers tell us the service feels like a partnership rather than a transaction, and that is the standard we hold ourselves to.
We joined the BSGA as a Commercial Partner because we wanted to be part of the industry we supply, not simply sell into it. Membership keeps us close to the people setting standards and shaping the trade, from health and safety guidance to skills initiatives such as the new SICCS competency card. It also reassures customers that they are dealing with a business that takes the sector seriously. Being part of the association helps us stay informed, make the right connections, and play our part in raising the professionalism of UK sign making.
Milestone we are most proud of
The milestone we are most proud of is the warehouse we moved to in 2021. We designed a 22,000 square foot facility in Sittingbourne around a single aim: getting aluminium out to sign makers faster, and in better condition, than anyone else. It holds up to 500+ tonnes of stock and is set up for efficient handling, conversion and despatch, which is why we now ship a typical order within about three hours and deliver safely 99.34% of the time.
It stands out because it changed what we can promise our customers. A sign maker working to a fixed installation date does not want to hear about lead times. They want the right posts, channel and fixings on site when they need them. The building, and the way we run it, is what lets us keep that promise day after day. We have carried the same thinking into our products, most recently by adding a 3D preview to the online ordering tool for our KOPA post and panel system, so that ordering is as quick and as certain as delivery.