Birmingham accountancy firm acquired by Midlands rival
A Birmingham accountancy firm has been acquired by a Midlands rival in a deal which expands its presence in the city.
Finnieston Berry Partnership, which is based on Northwood Street in the Jewellery Quarter, has been acquired by Baldwins Accountants, which is based in Walsall and has offices in Tamworth and Coventry.
The move is part of Baldwins’ national strategic expansion plans. The last 12 months has seen the Baldwins Accountancy Group grow from 16 to 34 offices across the country, employing more than 800 staff with an annual turnover of circa £50m.
Finnieston Berry’s eight members of staff will be retained and will split their work between Baldwins’ offices in Tamworth and Stourbridge, with the current office on Northwood Street used as a space for meeting clients.
Catherine Finnieston, partner at Finnieston Berry, said: “This deal opens up a wider range of services to our clients, which is fantastic news.
“We’ve spent the best part of 20 years building up a solid reputation in general accountancy services, and joining forces with Baldwins will enable us to take the business to the next level.
“We’ll now be able to offer further expertise as we’ll have access to specialists in VAT, corporate finance and banking, while also being able to put more resources behind our current services to take on more clients.”
Finnieston Berry Partnership was founded by Catherine Finnieston and Elaine Berry in 1998.
The accountancy firm has around 200 clients – with strength in the automotive sector – and provides services such as accounts, audit and taxation, as well as tax relief claims for research and development.
David Baldwin, director at Baldwins, added: “We’re thrilled that Finnieston Berry Partnership has joined the Baldwins Group and it gives us a presence in the centre of Birmingham.
“The firm has taken full advantage of being at the heart of the UK’s second city by building up a solid reputation in a variety of sectors, and we’re looking forward to working with Elaine and Catherine to see how we can use our services and expertise to help the region’s businesses develop further.
“Last year Baldwins doubled its number of offices, with more planned around the UK throughout 2017.”
