Midlands accountancy firm BK Plus has acquired Merseyside practice Abrams Ashton in a private equity-backed deal. Tony McDonough reports

An accountancy firm in Merseyside has been acquired by a Midlands-based practice in a deal backed by private equity operator palatine.

Abrams Ashton, based in St Helens, is being taken over by BK Plus, which has its headquarters in Walsall. It will support BK’s expansion into the North West. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

This is the first acquisition since Palatine’s investment in Midlands-based BK Plus in September 2023.

With an established reputation for providing tax expertise, Abrams Ashton will continue to operate out of its current offices in the St Helens Waterside Court Business Park. It specialises in tax planning, business growth strategies and financial management. 

David Cowen, Sally Fuller and Darren Leigh, partners at Abrams Ashton, will stay on in their roles. BK says the takeover will see the trio expand their services to new and existing clients.

BK chief executive Shaun Knight said: “Abrams Ashton will be a great addition to our local offering in the North West. Sally and David will add to our already impressive tax offering across the region.

“As a firm, our stated policy is to offer first-class service to the SME sector in their local area using local partners and staff. It was clear from the beginning of our discussions that all three partners share this philosophy.”

David Cowen, joint managing partner at Abrams Ashton, added: “BK Plus was the obvious choice for us as they have a similar philosophy to us in how we look after clients.

“Joining together with a larger organisation offers new opportunities as well as significant investment in staff and technology to improve our client service offering still further.”

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And Richard Thomas, a partner at Palatine, also said: “We are pleased to support BK Plus with their latest acquisition and their first deal since our investment last year.

“The strategic acquisition of Abrams Ashton further enhances BK Plus’ footprint in the North West and continues its ambitious growth strategy.”