A GLASGOW company initially arrange within the Nineteen Eighties by a late veteran of the town’s promoting business has nearly doubled gross sales within the final yr.

Jemma Robertson took over as director of GRA in 2020 after the tragic demise of her father, aged 59, from head accidents sustained in a fall.

The digital advertising company specialises in web site design and construct, branding, social media and search engine optimisation.

It has grown its consumer base throughout sectors together with meals manufacturing, hospitality, tourism, building, storage, property and finance.

GRA’s purchasers embody Coatbridge-based confectionery producer Lees of Scotland, timber specialist Fleming and Glasgow impartial faculty, the Excessive Faculty of Glasgow.

Jemma stated: “Regardless of the cost-of-living disaster and indicators of unemployment creeping up once more, so many companies are nonetheless investing in advertising.

“Many firms scale back promoting budgets throughout financial downturns, which may create a aggressive benefit for people who proceed to speculate.”

She had solely been working full-time within the enterprise for a yr, after graduating from the College of Aberdeen with a Grasp’s honours diploma in enterprise.

GRA expects to put up a 75% enhance in gross sales this yr, alongside a soar in income of between 25 to 30%.

Jemma says she does a variety of issues in a different way to how she and her father might need accomplished them earlier than, resulting from developments in know-how and the necessity to continuously innovate.

She additionally applies the nice knowledge he handed on and the necessity to present a excessive degree of consumer service.

“I solely acquired a yr with him in a full-time, skilled relationship, however there’s a lot he taught me that I nonetheless use each single day.

Within the Nineties, GRA and its successor, Man Robertson Partnership, grew into one in every of Scotland’s largest advertising businesses.

Purchasers included automobile maker Toyota and mineral water model Highland Spring.

Jemma says her ambition for GRA now’s to tackle extra massive model companies and purchasers working throughout Europe and internationally.

Present initiatives for GRA embody a tech start-up launch in Canada and America and a UK-wide retail launch.

Jemma added: “I’m actually happy with the calibre of purchasers we work with and a number of the initiatives we’ve been concerned in.

“We’ve additionally managed to take care of a top quality service whereas going by an enormous progress spurt.”