Azets acquires £12m turnover Garbutt + Elliott
- Azets creates regional presence in Yorkshire with acquisition of £12m turnover firm Garbutt + Elliott
- Garbutt + Elliott is widely regarded as one of Yorkshire’s largest independent chartered accounting firms
- The business, which has two offices in York and Leeds, will trade as Azets with immediate effect
- Existing Garbutt + Elliott clients gain access to specialist advisors in joining Azets in Restructuring & Insolvency, Forensics, Data Analytics and Cybersecurity
- Acquisition expands Azets key service lines: Audit & Accounts, Payroll, Corporate Finance, Tax & Private Clients, with an additional sector specialism in the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry.
Azets, the UK’s largest regional accountancy firm and business advisor to SMEs, today announces the acquisition of Garbutt + Elliott, a specialist accountancy firm with offices in York and Leeds, and one the largest independent chartered accounting firms in Yorkshire.
Established in 1896, Garbutt + Elliot is now trading as Azets, offering its existing clients access to specialist advisors across the UK and internationally in Restructuring & Insolvency, Forensics, Data Analytics and Cybersecurity, as part of the Top 10 UK accounting firm.
Garbutt + Elliott clients will also benefit from Azets’ investment in technology, with digital platforms such as CoZone delivering an advisory-rich service, focusing on helping clients ensure compliance, grow their business, and provide tools and information to enable real-time business and commercial advice.
The acquisition sees Azets expand into Yorkshire for the first time, adding York and Leeds to its network of 80 UK offices, enhancing key service lines including Audit & Accounts, Payroll, Corporate Finance, Tax, and Private Clients, and strengthening a sector specialism in the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry.
Acquiring Garbutt + Elliott adds over 200 people in business support and client-facing roles to the Azets team, including 15 Partners.
Chris Horne, CEO of Azets, said:
“I’d like to offer a warm welcome to Garbutt + Elliott as they join Azets at an exciting time in our growth. We’re delighted to create a presence in Yorkshire, adding to our office network in the North of England and across the UK. Garbutt + Elliott’s strong regional reputation and specialist expertise, combined with Azets’ local and international reach opens up a wealth of opportunities for our clients.
“We believe strongly in the local delivery of services, whilst giving businesses in Yorkshire the opportunity to benefit from our breadth, depth, and experience as an SME focused international accounting, tax, audit, advisory and business services group.
“Acquiring Garbutt + Elliott is a significant milestone on our journey to increase revenue by 50% in the next five years. This acquisition demonstrates our commitment to building the Azets brand and footprint throughout the UK and Europe.”
Russell Turner, Managing Partner at Garbutt & Elliott, said:
“We’re incredibly proud of our heritage and motivated to deliver success throughout the next chapter as part of the Azets family. Having first established 125 years ago, we retain our position as one of the largest chartered accountancy firms in Yorkshire, boosted by joining a UK Top 10 firm with shared values and beliefs in providing a personal approach to supporting the needs of local and regional businesses.”
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Notes to editors
- Chris Horne and Russell Turner are available for interviews
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About Azets
Azets is an SME focused international accounting, tax, audit, advisory and business services group, with 160 offices across the UK and Europe, over 6,500 employees and 600 Partners. In the UK, Azets is the largest regional accountancy and business advisor to SMEs and the 9th largest accountancy business. Blick Rothenberg, the award winning international corporate and private tax and accounting brand is also a part of Azets Group.
The Azets client experience is based on delivering a highly personalised service, through its local office network and its proprietary digital workplace technology, “CoZone”. A unique cloud-based portal, CoZone offers SMEs a market leading digital solution, with instant access to information about their business that simplifies workflows, increases operational productivity, and supports a more productive client relationship.
Across its network of offices, Azets supports c.120,000 clients across the UK and Europe. Clients include enterprises, SMEs, large scale business, public sector, and private clients, across multiple sectors.
About Garbutt + Elliott
Garbutt + Elliott (now trading as Azets) is one of Yorkshire’s largest independent firms of chartered accountants, auditors, and advisors. First established in 1896, today it has team of over 200 staff, including 15 Partners, offering tailored services for individuals and businesses.
Garbutt + Elliott provides a full range of specialist services, with experienced expert advisors covering a wide spectrum of sectors. Garbutt + Elliott is recognised for its positive and vibrant culture and continues to raise the bar in delivering exceptional service to clients to inspire confidence and success.
Its long standing presence in Yorkshire enables Garbutt & Elliott to understand the challenges faced by many business owners in the region.