Chartered accountant and business advisor firm Haines Watts has defied Brexit to record a second consecutive year of double-digit growth, taking its annual turnover to £96m.
Releasing financial results, the firm, which has more than 60 offices across the country, says despite predictions over Brexit, it achieved a 13% leap in overall revenues from both organic growth and what it described as an "active" acquisition strategy in the second half.
A total of £11m of the turnover was acquired during the financial year as Haines Watts took over new businesses in London, Birmingham, Liverpool Bristol and Nottingham. Recent acquisitions in the North East are expected to flow into next year's accounts, the firm said.
Michael Davidson, managing partner of the group employing over 1,000 people, said: “With the addition of new businesses to our group, we are steadily expanding our service offering which is leading to a rounder advisory service with existing clients and generating new fee income.
"Haines Watts is now able to advise wider on complex tax matters and private client work; we are fully able to provide business owners advisory support in today’s challenging climate.”
The firm remains firmly in "acquisitive mode", already recording 6% in acquired fee growth in the current financial year.
In the North West at least, the four offices have seen 44% growth year on year.
Outside of the North West, the 60 offices are spread across various regions including the Midlands, South West, London and the North East.
Mr Davidson added: "We have spent a lot of time working on developing our people in the last few years through our leadership development programme which has been well received. From this we have rolled out our ‘coaching for success’ programme across the business and we are preparing for a company-wide vision and values project to tie in with this which will prime everyone for a very powerful growth opportunity.
“We know agile and flexible working is attractive to ‘future of work’, so our new offices in Birmingham have no fixed desks and soon we will bring our most recent London acquisitions into our Holborn office and take a similar approach. We are even looking at co-working space for clients in our future plans and are very keen to lead the way in being a modern business unafraid to adopt change."
