Accountancy firms join forces
Baldwins, the accountancy practice which is part of the £320m turnover CogitalGroup, is expanding into Northamptonshire after joining forces with a firm in Kettering.
Smith Hodge & Baxter, which has an office at Thorpe House in the town, has teamed up with the Baldwins Group.
CogitalGroup has 4,700 people operating from 150 offices in seven countries.
Smith, Hodge & Baxter has an annual turnover of £2m, employs 26 staff and serves more than 1,000 clients including companies, individuals, charities, trusts and academies.
The business will now trade as Smith, Hodge & Baxter, part of the Baldwins Group.
The partnership has been labelled as an opportunity for growth by Smith Hodge & Baxter’s managing partner, John Hatcher, as the firm gears up to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.
He said: “Strategically we believe this to be a natural and exciting direction for us to take.
“It is a move which will create security for us all, opportunities to better serve our clients, create better career development opportunities for staff and facilitate growth.
“Baldwins is a long-established business and like ourselves, they are focused on serving the business community and individuals with a highly personalised service.”
Smith Hodge & Baxter will become Baldwins’ 61st office in the UK.
Ian Gould, regional director at Baldwins, said: “We are excited to be working with Smith, Hodge & Baxter to help local businesses develop and grow while also navigating future obstacles.
“They are a practice that shares a similar ethos to ourselves and I think we are going to work very well together to help them move their business forward.
“For Baldwins this represents another positive step forward in our own growth as we look to consolidate our presence in the region with further investment in the near future.”
