Richard Martin

After leaving Bristol Technical School, Richard became an apprenticed stereotyper for the Bristol Evening Post in 1967. In 1975 he moved to The Western Gazette, another newspaper in the same group based in Yeovil. Ahead of the introduction of computerisation into the industry, Richard moved into the commercial side and in 1981, became trained in advertising design and sales. After a few years he gained promotion to Advertising Manager for the group's free press titles distributed throughout Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire. Following the profitable sale of a retail business in early 1986, which Richard set up and was managed by his wife Kathy, he left the newspaper business to pursue his interest in property and forge a career in estate agency. Richard founded Martin & Co in 1986 in Yeovil. In 1995, Martin & Co became a franchise operation and the brand has grown from strength to strength since.