The acquisition of the independent firm of accountants, Douglas Home & Co will see 80 staff join the business and the addition of seven offices across Scotland. The firm was set up in 2003 and has estimated revenue in excess of £5m.  

Darren Thomson, managing director of Douglas Home will remain with the merged firm in a director role. The other five directors, Caroline Tice, founder Alan Drummond, Sheryl Macaulay, Mike Johnston and Victoria Ivinson, will also join EQ.

The firm will be rebranded as EQ, bringing Sumer’s Scottish presence to 10 offices, including some coverage in the north of England, with a total of 210 staff. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

EQ, which currently has offices in Dundee, Forfar and Glenrothes, sold a major stake to Sumer last year, securing finance for an ambitious growth plan to triple turnover from £11m to £30m in the next three to five years. The Sumer deal was finalised in January.