A growing firm of chartered accountants has expanded again after merging with another practice.
This time Coxeys, who have offices in Wrexham, Chester and Saltney, didn’t have to look far for the latest opportunity to boost the operation.
The long-established Martin Williams and Co is located across the corridor of the same building, Riverside House, in Riverside Lane, Saltney.
According to Coxeys managing director Anthony Lewis, the practice was the “perfect fit” for their growth ambitions.
It follows the takeover of the Chester branch of the Hall Livesey Brown in 2019.
Coxeys was originally founded in 1927 as W. Cross and Co and changed its name in 1974 when Michael Coxey took over.
The latest merger is being masterminded by Mr Lewis who joined the firm in 1998 and became managing director in 2018.
Coxeys now employ more than 40 people including 10 qualified accountants, and also have a book-keeping arm called Business Essentials.
The firm’s clients range from sole traders to large multi-national companies with multi-million-pound turnovers.
Mr Lewis said: “They have the same working ethos as us, and the culture within the office is similar, so the transition will, I am sure, be seamless.
“Martin and his two members of staff are staying on so there will be a continuity of service for all the clients which will give them peace of mind.
“It’s the perfect fit to enable us to expand the Coxeys brand because they have an excellent client base which we are keen to help grow.
“The clients are obviously the most important element in the business and, because we have a complementary skill-set, we will now be able to offer them a broader range of services and the back-up of a larger team.
“Coxeys is a training firm for both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
“Coxeys is well-established and we have a very low level of turnover of staff. That’s one of the things that we take immense pride in. The fact that we look after
staff and make sure that we have a happy team.
“Our aim at all times is to put the client first and give them metropolitan quality services at provincial prices.
“Everybody gets the same level of service and the same commitment from us, and the same high level of professionalism.
“That’s the reason why we have a lot of clients who have been with us for many years and we have and continue to play our part as they thrive and prosper.”
He added: “After two years of uncertainty, the economy’s booming at the minute and a lot of our clients are benefiting from that. We are seeing a real resurgence in the business community in Wrexham, Flintshire, Chester and the surrounding areas.”
After working in an accountancy partnership in Chester for 25 years, Martin Williams established his own firm, Martin Williams and Co, 15 years ago.
He said: “I am coming up to retirement age and while I don’t want to retire I would like to reduce my working hours and have some succession planning in place.
“The relationship between an accountant and their client is a very close one so I was looking for the right company to ensure that they are going to be in safe hands in the future.
“Coxeys have a fantastic reputation as a fine, upstanding company with real integrity and it that has given me a great deal of confidence in joining them.”
Lorraine Hughes, the Coxeys office manager in Saltney, was excited about joining forces with Martin Williams and Co.
She said: “This is another significant expansion for Coxeys that is going to make the pool of our knowledge bigger and increase our client portfolio.
“At the same time there will be a smooth continuity of service for clients, so much so that they will be coming to the very same building and I am sure this will give them complete peace of mind.
“Meanwhile, it’s onwards and upwards for Coxeys.”
