Top 20 accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy is to merge with the Maidstone office of Day, Smith & Hunter (DSH) creating a combined firm with 72 partners and an expected turnover of £47m
The transaction is set to complete at the end of this month, when the DSH Maidstone office will trade as Wilkins Kennedy.
Wilkins Kennedy, ranked at number 19 in the 2015 Accountancy league table, says the move is part of the firm’s growth strategy for the southern region, linking its office coverage in Ashford, Canterbury and Sandwich with its long-established presence in Orpington.
In the medium term, the firm intends to develop Maidstone as a base for delivering additional services to privately owned and inward investment businesses in the county.
Rob Reynolds, regional managing partner of Wilkins Kennedy’s southern region said: ‘We are delighted to be joining forces with DSH, a firm that is well established and very highly respected throughout the region. This merger provides us with a significant base in the centre of the county to support our growing client base.’
Mike Startup, partner at DSH, said: ‘We are delighted to be merging with Wilkins Kennedy, which has a similar client base to ourselves and shares our ethos with regard to client care. As well as enabling us to offer enhanced specialist advice, this deal gives us access to services such as corporate finance and recovery and restructuring which we have not previously been able to provide, and will help us to further grow the office’s client offering.’
