Grant Thornton sees digital forensics and tech investment as key for 2018

Grant Thornton UK LLP reported a significant drop in fee income to £499.9m in its 2017 year end results, down from £533.8m in 2016 due to the loss of a major government contract, but profitability improved as the number five accounting firm has conducted a root and branch review of the business and has strengthened various services lines, including forensic services and financial services.

It has seen post-tax profit up 10.3% to £75m, although this figure is still down on 2015, when Grant Thornton reported £82m in profits. Underlying revenue growth on a like-for-like basis was 2.5% excluding the cancellation of the government funded Business Growth Services contract.