The Martin & Co network have had many reasons to celebrate over the past year, with record breaking results and their domination of the industry's national awards. However 2010 has given some of the network's award winning offices an additional reason to toast to the future. Ten Martin & Co offices across the UK have reaffirmed their commitment to the UK's no.1 letting agent by renewing their franchise agreements for another 5 years.

All these offices are great examples of how a franchise business partnership can achieve outstanding results. The offices may not have to pay a fee to renew, but there are strict criteria that they must meet in order to continue to fly the Martin & Co flag. Part of the renewal process includes the franchise owners visiting and meeting the head office team, as well as having a personal meeting with Group MD Ian Wilson to discuss their business plan, and their vision for the next five years.

"Our rise to the top has been quite remarkable, particularly over the past 5 years. The foundation of our success has been the business partnership with our successful and committed franchise owners, who not only drive their own business locally but who are also vital in developing the brand as a whole. We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with all of the offices, all of whom are a credit to the brand." commented Ian Wilson.

The offices have certainly seen a number of changes over the past 5 years. A strong brand strategy over the last five years has transformed the group. The Martin & Co website now has more visitors than any other lettings specialist's website*! The offices have also seen the introduction of the striking Martin & Co cars, a powerful marketing tool utilised by all ten offices. The renewing franchise owners have also seen the size of the group double in the last 5 years.

The future certainly looks bright for Martin & Co and their franchise owners as they continue to invest in the brand and firmly establish themselves as the market leading letting agent in the UK.

The offices that have renewed are Bath, Belfast, Caterham, Cheltenham, Guildford, Littlehampton, Milton Keynes, Twickenham, Woking and York.

*sourced from impartial web experts Alexa.com

With over 170 offices UK-wide, there is currently only one office trading  in Northern Ireland. Located in Belfast , this office is well established and has been owned and managed by Gordon Campbell for just over 5-years.

If you are interested in attending a free roadshow in Northern Ireland during the summer contact Penny or Corinne 01202 292829.

Martin & Co Brand Standards Director Sue Hopson commented "We are delighted to have Charlotte on board. We are proud to offer one of the most comprehensive training and support packages in the franchise industry and we are constantly looking for ways to develop the training programmes that we offer. Charlotte's appointment will allow us to dedicate even more of our Head Office resources into our specialist Training Academy."

On starting the brand new role Charlotte said "I'm excited at the opportunity to work with such a well established brand. I am looking forward to getting stuck in and meeting our franchise owners and their staff."

The ever growing Training Academy is certainly having the desired effect on the network of 175 offices. Last week Martin & Co scooped more awards at the industry's national awards, which are based on customer service, than any other brand. The list of Martin & Co award winners included their Glasgow South office who were named as the best letting agent in the UK!

So if you're looking for houses or flats to rent , or are a landlord looking to go with the agent of choice come and speak to Martin & Co, the UK's no1 letting agent today.

In addition to the two national awards, regionally two gold, two silver and three bronze awards were picked up by Martin & Co offices.

The results of the competition were determined by research carried out amongst customers who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent.Over 19,000 votes were received making the awards the most important and valuable in the industry.

The awards were announced by Phil Spencer, presenter of Channel 4's Location, Location property programme at a lavish luncheon & ceremony in Mayfair, London attended by 450 of the UK's top estate and letting agents.

Phil Spencer said "By entering the awards agents have put their reputation on the line, they've been brave, and they have done what others are afraid to do. They've said to their customers and their competitors - that they believe in providing the best possible service and they want to prove it. They've been recognised for their bravery and all that hard work involved to get to the final shortlist."

"These awards mean a lot to Martin & Co and our offices as it is voted for by landlords. We pride ourselves on the unrivalled level of service that we offer all of our clients. Last year was our first year of entering and we were pleased with the outcome in 2009, but to have 28 offices shortlisted and subsequently have Gold, Silver and Bronze award winners is an even greater achievement and demonstrates the consistently high quality service that our landlords can expect to receive throughout the UK." commented Ian Wilson Managing Director Martin & Co (UK) Ltd

"Throughout the letting industry there is a constant need to improve customer service and these are the only awards that recognise just that. Word of mouth and customer satisfaction are powerful marketing tools. Thank you to all our landlords who completed a questionnaire as without their feedback we would not have been included in the shortlist," added Ian.

The awards are sponsored by HomeLet and Rayner Recruitment and organised by Awards for Business www.theestas.com. The awards are voted for by landlords who have had flats to rent or houses to rent with an agent.

Managing Director, Ian Wilson commented that every year is a record year, but that this year's growth is extraordinary. He said that 38 new franchise owners joined the Martin & Co brand during 2009 and that Martin & Co offered the right platform to build a successful business."

"Our existing offices have also continued to perform strongly, clocking up a growth in office fee income of nearly 30%. (2009 compared to 2008.) The pace of growth has enabled us to invest in new training initiatives, additional operational resources and marketing support for our franchise owners.

Franchisees attending were able to benefit from seminars on topical issues including the vision and strategy for the ever expanding Martin & Co network. And for the first time a number of suppliers who work with the brand exhibited at this annual event, providing a great networking opportunity for franchise owners and suppliers alike.

The event ended with an awards ceremony in the evening where individual Martin & Co offices were recognised for a number of awards including "Most Successful Business" and "Best Client Service". And no strangers to award ceremonies Martin & Co will be defending next month its "Best Large Letting Chain" title won for the first time last year as they have been shortlisted again in the same category. (ESTAS awards.)

This year's Annual Conference is a double celebration for Martin & Co who this year reached the milestone of 15 years of successful franchising. On reaching their fifteenth birthday Wilson commented "Of course this is a great achievement but we are not resting on our laurels. We are on track to have 200 offices by the end of this year."

The results of the competition are determined by research carried out amongst landlords who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent. Over 19,000 votes were cast by members of the public in response to the research. There are 10 regional categories and shortlists for each region: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, North East & West, Yorkshire & the Humber, Central, South West, Southern, South East and London.

Martin & Co are defending their title of Best Large Letting Chain 2009 and are hopeful of success at this year's awards. "This award means a lot to Martin & Co and our offices as it is voted for by landlords. We pride ourselves on the unrivalled level of service that we offer all of our clients and last year's award recognized that. However to have 26 offices shortlisted regionally is an even greater achievement and demonstrates the consistently high quality of service that our landlords can expect to receive throughout the UK." commented Mark Burdge, Sales and Marketing Director at Martin & Co.

"Throughout the letting industry there is a constant need to improve customer service and these are the only awards that recognise just that. Word of mouth and customer satisfaction are powerful marketing tools. Thank you to all our landlords who completed a questionnaire as without their feedback we would not have been included in the shortlist," added Burdge.

The awards ceremony will take place in London on 15th April. Phil Spencer, media personality and journalist who is perhaps best known as a co presenter on Channel 4's Location, Location and Re-location, Re-location will be presenting the awards.

Martin & Co Witney franchise owners Judi and Andrew Ramsay  have an extensive background in the property industry having set up, and developed, an Estate Agency in Spain. 'Valencia Choice' was a start up company which enjoyed considerable success over a six year period before Judi and Andrew decided to return to the UK to start a new challenge. The local husband and wife team are ready to take lettings in the Witney area on to the next level.

"We have had considerable experience as landlords ourselves and are well aware of the generally poor level of service offered by other agents. We have also run our own successful estate agency in Spain, so we know what it takes to satisfy our clients. Attention to detail, working with landlords & tenants as individuals, and striving to match their requirements to the property, should ensure that we will build a reputation for customer service that will establish Martin & Co as the agent of choice in Witney" commented Judi.

"Housing is a basic need, but too often the service available to landlords and tenants is also basic. We know the industry and our key principle is to offer the best customer service available in the industry." added Andrew.

There is no better place to be than Witney at the moment, according to Judi. "We have owned a house near Witney for many years. The area is expanding rapidly and is designated as a ‘boom' town close to Oxford, with a lot of new housing developments, and so the location for a new rental business is very attractive."

"We believe that Witney will continue to grow and need more housing. The council has plans for a number of new developments in Witney itself, and the nearby town of Carterton is home to the Brize Norton airbase which is expanding because of the closure of RAF Lyneham in the next couple of years. We have every intention of being a significant part of that local growth." added Judi.

Although Martin & Co are a national brand, Andrew is keen to stress that the office is owned and will be run locally. "As a start-up business we will initially be employing one new member of staff but we plan to expand rapidly and be in a position to bring more employment to the area. We also intend to join the local community organisations that ‘put something back' into the local community."

"We care about the local area are delighted that David Cameron was able to come and officially open the office. We ask the question; if you're anything other than delighted with your letting agent what's stopping you from contacting us?"

The opening the latest Martin & Co office in Witney will increase the award winning brand's coverage further across the local region, with offices located in Oxford , Banbury , Abingdon and Cirencester .

The buy-to-let mortgage service is just the latest tool in the marketing army of the Martin & Co's award winning franchise . Earlier this year the letting agent announced the launch of Furniture by Martin & Co, a service which provided discounted furniture packs for landlords. 

"We are always looking to develop new services that add value to our clients. With the launch of Martin & Co Mortgages we can now offer landlords one of the most comprehensive services in the industry." commented Mark Burdge, Sales and Marketing Director.

"The mortgage finder is not just a marketing gimmick. Landlords can search all of the available deals and get full details of any scheme they wish. The mortgage finder will also tell you how much monthly income you have in surplus or shortfall with a particular scheme!" added Burdge.

"We are confident that the service will help landlords across the UK save time, and more importantly money. The service is completely free of charge and also has a free helpline, giving landlords access to our buy-to-let mortgage specialists, who will be happy to help. We are not re-inventing buy-to-let mortgages, we're just re-inventing how landlords search for them." concluded Burdge.

Landlords wishing to access the buy-to-let mortgage service should visit www.martinco.com.

Whilst other letting agent s play catch up Martin & Co offices are already reaping the benefits of social networking by generating enquiries and letting properties - fast!

Read the full article on the Martin & Co Blog .

The objective is to establish Martin & Co as the leading specialist letting agency in London - the UK's most lucrative lettings market. The group already has 175 offices throughout the UK, 20 of which are in Greater London.

"The fastest route to success in the London market is to work with existing Lettings Managers who have the contacts, the local knowledge and the ambition to open their own agency. The people we are looking for will live and breathe London lettings, and feel that their career working for other people has reached a peak, but they may lack the capital and "know how" to start their own business" said Ian Wilson, Managing Director.

"For the right people we will provide the support and the funding to make it happen".

"However, the restricted number of prime London areas means competition for Business Partnership places will be fierce" predicted Wilson.

Letting Managers who want to book a place should email Sales & Marketing Director, Mark Burdge. mark.burdge@martinco.com in strict confidence.