Two West Yorkshire accountancy firm have joined forces.
Cleckheaton-based Clough & Company has merged with BHP, Yorkshire’s largest independent firm of chartered accountants, to create a regional practice with six offices, more than 270 people and revenues approaching £18m – putting the merged firm among the top 40 largest accounting firms in the UK.
BHP’s Chain Bar office will trade and be branded as BHP Clough & Company. The merger also involves Clough & Company’s financial services team joining BHP Financial Planning Ltd while the two firms’ corporate recovery and insolvency teams will combine within BHP Clough Corporate Solutions.
The merger coincides with the planned retirement from Clough & Company of partners Steven Gash and Nigel Westman after many years’ service to their clients. Both remain as consultants.
John Warner, BHP’s managing partner, said: “The merger with Clough & Company is a further step towards our vision of being the independent firm of choice across our region.
“We have always admired Clough & Company as a long-established and well-respected brand in the West Yorkshire marketplace.
“They very much share our values and culture, not only providing the highest quality advice to clients but also employing and developing the best people.
“In particular, the merger will add significant scale to our West Yorkshire offering, currently run out of our rapidly expanding office in Leeds.”
Nigel Bullas, Clough’s managing partner, said: “As part of our own long-term growth strategy, we have identified the need for an international presence – which BHP’s membership of Kreston International will provide – together with highly specialised corporate finance and consulting capabilities to respond to the increasingly complex demands of growing businesses.
“The combined operation, which includes a tax team of almost 50 experts, will not only enable us to provide enhanced support to our clients, but also help us to be the number one choice in our sector.
“This is the way forward, is great news for our staff and clients and we are all very excited about the future.”
Banking support for the transaction was provided by NatWest. Legal advice to BHP was provided by hlw Keeble Hawson, with LCF Law advising Clough & Company.
