Smith Cooper, a UK top 50 firm of accountants and business advisers, has acquired Andersons KBS, one of Birmingham’s oldest-established practices.
Andersons has been in existence for 80 years and operates from offices in New Market Street, at the hub of Birmingham’s financial centre.
The business, previously run by Mike Green and Ralph Rowledge, employs more than a dozen staff and provides a range of general accountancy, audit and tax services.
Smith Cooper was founded in 1985 in Derby and is one of the Midlands’ leading accounting and business advisory firms with nine offices across the region. It operates dedicated corporate finance, specialist tax and corporate recovery and insolvency teams, as well as separate financial solutions, IT and HR divisions.
Partner John Southwell, who heads up the Birmingham office, said: “We have been doing business in Birmingham for years, many of our clients’ professional advisers and bankers are based here, so Smith Cooper is already known amongst the professional community.
“As the Midlands’ regional financial centre, it is a key element of our strategic growth plan to establish a permanent presence in Birmingham.
“We fill a gap in the market in the city, providing the range of specialist services expected from the major professional services firms, but making them more accessible to medium sized businesses.”
Smith Cooper has already made a number of appointments to the new office at director level.
John Laycock has been recruited as business development director; Sarah Bourke in corporate recovery and insolvency; and Ryan Wilkinson in corporate finance.
Already well known in the Birmingham business community, John Laycock will be working with Mike Green and Ralph Rowledge to expand the practice in the area.
Simon Gwinnutt, head of the firm’s corporate recovery and insolvency division, is also involved at partner level in developing the firm’s Birmingham office with John Southwell.
