Becoming the competition: launching a rival start-up
In just 15 months, Legend PPF UK has established itself as a go-to provider of paint protection film, used in the high-end Automotive industry from high end luxury prestige cars to your everyday Vehicle. For Sam Campins Vicente, who was asked to launch the American brand in this country, it’s been a chance to put a new focus on excellent customer experiences to win a loyal – and growing – client base.
Legend Paint Protection Films was launched in the US in 2018. Having worked in the sector for 12 years, Sam Campins Vicente knew the founders, and was the first person they contacted when they wanted to bring their product to the UK, making her Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Legend PPF UK was launched in November 2024 – and in little over a year has managed to win many customers over with their quality product and by putting the customer first. We caught up with her at their workshop in Greenway Business Centre in Harlow to find out more about what they do, how they have built their brand from scratch across the UK and Ireland, and their ambitions for the future.
What goods and services does Legend PPF UK offer? 
Sam: “We’re a distributor and manufacturer of paint protection film, Paint Protection Film (PPF), which is a clear, flexible polyurethane film applied to a vehicle’s paintwork to protect it from everyday damage. It acts as an invisible barrier against stone chips, light scratches, road debris, UV fading, and environmental contaminants such as bird droppings and tree sap.
“Modern PPF features a self-healing top layer, meaning minor marks disappear with heat from the sun or warm water. Once installed, it preserves the vehicle’s original finish while keeping a factory-fresh appearance. In short, PPF is one of the most effective ways to protect your vehicle’s paint, retain your car’s value, and keep it looking new for years.
“Paint Protection Film (PPF) is most commonly installed on the high-impact areas of a vehicle that are most vulnerable to damage, including the front bumper, bonnet, front wings, headlights, mirrors, door sills, and rear arches. These areas take the brunt of stone chips, road debris, and everyday wear. For maximum protection, many owners also choose full-vehicle coverage, particularly on new, rare, or high-value cars.
“PPF is used on all types of vehicles, but it is especially popular on high-end and performance cars such as Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and other luxury or supercar brands, where protecting the original paintwork and maintaining long-term value is essential.
“Our customers are predominantly in the automotive industry and trained in installing Paint Protection Film, such as vinyl wrappers and detailers (who provide high-end services to clean and protect cars); we sell to the installers who then offer this as a service to their clients.”
How did you get to launch the UK company?
Sam: “I’ve been in the industry for 12 years and the founders and I all used to work for one of our competitors. They contacted me to see if I wanted to bring Legend PPF into the UK. I trusted them and saw it as an opportunity to work with a bit more freedom, so I decided to take the chance – and it’s been going well ever since.
“I knew we’d be able to offer something different from our competitors. We make our own product in North Carolina, which is a good thing, and we offer it at reasonable prices. Our industry is a bit smoke and mirrors; companies often say they make the film when they just buy it from China and re-box it, whereas we actually make our own film, which means we can support them on the technical side of things.
“There’s also not much focus on customer service within our industry, so I saw a chance to build something with a real point of difference, and knew that I would be able to do that in a family-run business, instead of a corporate-run business. And that’s what we do; our customers are the most important thing to us – without them we wouldn’t have a company.”
How did you get the business off the ground?
Sam: “The biggest battle was no one knew who we were, but I already had a customer base, so I had contacts and knew what customers to go to. I couldn’t talk to them for a month, but once that was up we sent mailers to everyone that offers paint protection film and did a lot of marketing, especially through Instagram ads.
“Having worked for a competitor it was hard to say, ‘I know I used to offer that, but now I’m working for another company – and this is better’. So, I offered samples for the installers to try; because I already had a lot of trust with them, they were happy to try it, and then moved over as customers because the paint protection film that we make is better.
“The installers that we supply are working for very high-net-worth clients, so it’s vital that they have confidence in us and our product, as they won’t do anything to jeopardise their client relationships. It helped because the company in the US has been going since 2018, so they already had a footprint.
“The longevity of the film was also received well in the US, which helped the installers to trust us. We were also the first company to offer a 12-year warranty. Our competitors have now copied us, but at the time they were offering five or seven years, so our long warranty also helped build confidence with our clients.”
What have the highlights been over the last 15 months?
Sam: “I think the most rewarding thing is when you get a customer over and they trust you. But the highlight was getting our unit. When we launched, it was just me, working from home, with a third-party warehouse, which didn’t give us enough control, such as better cut-off times for next-day deliveries.
“But we took on a second person last autumn, who makes the pre-cut kits patterns to avoid cutting on high end cars. We currently use a 3D scanning machine that allows us to scan the whole car; that’s transformed from 3D to 2D to create the pattern shape that is then loaded into our cutting software and then printed using a cutting plotter to then be installed on the car. We’ve currently got a plotter making its way to us from America, so we needed a space that would enable us to store our stock as well as cut out the pre-cut kits that we send out to the installers.
“I thought it would take longer to be able to take on a professional workspace, but within a year we had secured enough customers to be ready to make the move. That was a big thing, as it means we’ve been able to make it our home so we can serve customers better. And that was a great feeling; it’s because we’ve got the brand out there successfully, particularly through building our socials.”
What attracted you to Greenway Business Centre? 
Sam: “The first thing was how clean and professional they were – the staff were so welcoming and happy to answer any questions, and they keep the place spotless. Some of the units we looked at just looked a bit run down, with really high, fixed-term leases. By contrast, the units in Greenway Business Centre are really clean with a month-by-month license; touch wood things will continue to work out well, but if they don’t we know we only have to give a month’s notice. The security at Greenway Business Centre was also important as our stock needs to be stored in a clean environment and is a high value asset.
“We have a workshop, with two desks and then space to store our stock as well as the plotter, when it arrives, so we can make the pre-cut kits.”
What has your experience been of Capital Space?
Sam: “The centre management team just go above and beyond. If I’m not here, they’ll open the unit to take a delivery for me. If you need post sent out, you just leave it in reception. They’re just very helpful, and if I need anything, they do it then and there – and they don’t expect any extra for it. They’re just great!”
What are your business plans for the next five years?
Sam: “Our vision is to grow. We want to be one of the biggest paint protection film providers in the UK. The unit we’re in at the moment is good, but we want to be expanding and need to move into a bigger one.”
What tips would you give to an entrepreneur launching a new business?
Sam: “I think that the biggest tip is know your market, know your customer base. Never make enemies and never say bad things about your competitors. Be confident in what you’re selling and do not worry about anyone else.
“Never feel that your company is bigger than your customer base; never think that they should be honoured to buy from you. It doesn’t matter the size of your customer – treat everyone the same.
“When you start up a business, be prepared for it to be hard to begin with, but keep on going and do everything you can to get your brand out there.”
