WMS Acquire Long Established Cornish Business Williams and Martin

Westcountry Maintenance Services Ltd., (WMS) with offices in Cornwall and Devon announces the acquisition of long established Redruth-based specialist painting and decorating company, Williams & Martin Ltd, (W&M). The expansion is part of a mid-long term strategy of WMS to grow the services and expertise they can offer to a larger client base throughout the South West.

WMS was established in 2007 following a Management Buy Out and since that time the business has expanded with turnover increasing from £2m to an anticipated £6m in 2015/16. With a Head Office in Bideford and premises in Redruth and Chudleigh, the well-respected firm works primarily with Housing Associations and local authorities and the public sector, carrying out planned cyclical and responsive. WMS employs around 100 staff weekly made up of full-time employees and local SME’s (Small, Medium Enterprises). Acquiring Williams & Martin Ltd., has enabled WMS to expand the services it can offer and build on the painting side of the business.

Michael Sussex – Managing Director WMS said: “We are delighted to have acquired Williams & Martin as we were looking for a well-respected quality company to complement our existing business model and they came highly recommended. The firm carries out specialised painting and decorating projects and have a niche market with some blue-chip clients and the acquisition was a natural choice as the ethos and values of our two firms go hand in hand. W&M has a well-earned reputation for giving excellent personal customer service and they specialise in the private sector which will help to expand the business across the region and as a whole into a wider arena.”

Williams & Martin provide all aspects of specialised painting and decorating works throughout Cornwall and Devon with the continued aim of maintaining highest standards of quality and workmanship. The company works with prestigious clients such as Morrish Builders on the Duchy of Cornwall development at Tregunnel Hill, Newquay, where W&M has up to three painters working permanently on site throughout the build. The firm has also worked on the two fire stations in Camborne and Redruth using intumescent coatings for fire proofing steel and wood. In Plymouth they recently completed internal works with Ocean Studios in Royal William Yard.

W&M was established 35 years’ ago by Fred Williams after moving to Redruth from his home town of Birmingham in 1980. He comments: “My grandfather started his Decorators and Property Repairs business called ‘A W Crisp’ after the First World War in 1919. I was just eight years old when I went to work with him to learn the trade and later in life it was a natural progression to set up my own painting and decorating business.” Explaining the move to the South West he adds: “My wife Jill and I holidayed in Cornwall for the first time in the 1970’s and whilst walking on Praa Sands we both knew this is where we wanted to live and work. I sold my business in Birmingham and set up Williams & Martin in Redruth and haven’t looked back.”

Following the acquisition, Mr Williams will be working towards gradual retirement and initially continue as a consultant with WMS in the capacity of his new role as Business Development Manager. WMS has taken on all employees of W&M and will retain the company’s trading name and the Redruth office, with further new job opportunities available including a surveyor and administration staff in the local area.

Fred Williams - Owner W&M said: “This is an exciting new era for the company as I was looking for the right partner to take over the business. WMS has the same values as W&M with a long established track record and highly regarded in the industry. I have total trust and confidence in handing over the reins of the day-to-day operation of the business to Michael and his dedicated team. I am especially delighted that all our employees will be retained as I have a huge loyalty to them – they are like family to me and I can now relax knowing they are in good hands. I am looking forward to my new role as Business Development Manager and having the pressure of being the main decision maker removed means I can really enjoy going to work every day.”