The owners of the Sunderland branch of Martin & Co have securing a third independent acquisition in seven years.

Chris and Juli Poulton, who own the branch on Athenaeum Street, have bought the lettings portfolio of local independent Paul Airey Estate Agents.

The purchase, which is the is the pair’s fourth in total, has taken their managed portfolio to almost 400.

Chris Poulton said: “Paul [Airey] has been operating in Sunderland for a long time and myself and Juli have had a strong relationship with him since we started in 2014.

“We’ve actually gone full circle to an extent, as when we first rented out a property in Sunderland, we did it through Paul.

“Paul approached us to see if we were interested in taking his portfolio, as he’s now focusing fully on the sales side of his business.

“We have experienced a record start to the year. This acquisition boosts our lettings portfolio at a time when we are also experiencing record growth in our residential sales business, so it’s great timing for both Paul and ourselves.”

The head of franchising at The Property Franchise Group, Penny Sanders, is pleased that the pair have completed on another portfolio.

Sanders said: “It’s testament to their hard work and dedication to the business and we’ll continue to support them with any future purchases.”