National player swoops for Preston accountancy practice

A business services firm is expanding its presence in the North West after acquiring a Preston-based accountancy practice.

Montpelier Chartered Accountants, whose office is based on Pittman Way in Preston, has joined the Baldwins Group. This latest deal underlines Baldwins’ further investment in the North West.

Montpelier, formerly THR and Freeman Rich, which employs 28 staff, has been serving businesses across Lancashire for more than 85 years.

The firm currently advises businesses across sectors such as manufacturing, retail, agriculture, medical practices, not for profit and tourism, as well as offering strategic tax advice to individual clients and their families.

Baldwins, a Cogital Group company, now has 92 offices throughout the UK, employing more than 2,800 staff with an annual turnover of approximately £200m.

Louise Highton, director at Montpelier, revealed that while the firm will trade as Baldwins with immediate effect, it is business as usual for staff and clients.

She said: “This is an exciting opportunity to evolve our Preston office into the go-to place in Lancashire for advice on all aspects of running a successful business.

“We’ve built up a solid reputation over the years for providing quality business and tax advisory services to clients, in addition to tax and accounts compliance, and working with Baldwins will unlock a range of other specialist services that will help our clients to develop and grow.

“Joining Baldwins is also a golden opportunity for our staff who are looking to develop and further their experience in different advisory areas, enabling us to play a significant role in bringing through the next generation of business advisors.”

David Baldwin, board director at Baldwins, has overseen the firm’s strategic expansion across the UK.

He said: “Expanding into Preston for the first time is a significant move for Baldwins as we look to further strengthen our presence in the North West.

“Our aim is to be the leading professional services firm in business communities across the UK, and acquiring firms such as Montpelier that has unrivalled knowledge of the areas that they’re operating in are key to this.”

David Travis, regional managing partner at Baldwins, said: “This acquisition perfectly complements our coverage across the North of Manchester and Lancashire, enabling the team in Preston to now provide a full complement of services such as corporate finance and restructuring to clients via our local North West network.

“We look forward to enhancing Montpelier’s offering throughout Lancashire and helping the business community to go from strength-to-strength.”