Accountants Rice relocate after 50 years

A 50-YEAR-OLD firm of chartered accountants has relocated offices after spending half a century at its former base.

Rice and Co has relocated from its former home in Mill Street, Cannock to newer, more modern offices a short distance away at the Rumer Hill business park.

The company started out in 1960 as a one man business, and has now grown to include a second office in Uttoxeter, with more than 20 staff, and five partners – Chris Stonier,  Kevin Preece, Colin Dalton, Steve Dale and  Matthew Gibbs.

Mr  Stonier, a partner at the firm for more than 30 years, said the move was necessary to cope with the company’s growth, as well as the latest technological advancements, which had meant they had outgrown their old offices.

“Rice and Co’s name has been associated with Bank House for 50 years, since Arthur Rice set up in business in an office above the Westminster bank,  but we want to reassure people we are not going too far away, and the only thing that is changing is our location,” he said.

“When the bank eventually moved out, we took over the building, but obviously, we didn’t have the computers or modern office equipment we do now, or the number of employees,” he said.

He said the company was looking forward to developing its new home, which was now fit-for-purpose.