Advisory and accountancy firm targets further growth in Yorkshire

Fortus, the fast-growing business advisory and accountancy firm with offices across the region, has revealed further plans for growth following a strong performance for the financial year ending 31 March 2022. The plans include acquiring other practices in Yorkshire, with a particular focus on Leeds, and recruiting staff at all levels to keep up with demand for its expert services.

Fortus has seen its North of England division, which is headquartered in York, and has operations in Scarborough and a growing team in Leeds, grow revenues by 40 per cent to c.£4m and increase headcount by 20 employees to almost 60, over the last 12 months.

Craig Herbert, executive director of Fortus in the North of England, said the firm’s success was being driven by supporting its clients with more than just accounting services. He said: “Led by an ambitious, creative, experienced, and dynamic leadership team, we challenge the traditional historical accountancy partner model, which we believe is outdated and fundamentally broken.

“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve experienced rapid growth based on our approach of providing advisory services to business owners in a unique way, where we work together to share knowledge and experience to be able to advise them across all areas of their business. We understand the journey each one must go on to succeed, helping them to deliver on their ambitions.

“We combine large firm advisory expertise and service lines alongside a more personalised, consultancy led experience, all backed by deep sector and local market knowledge. This approach is proving vital as business owners navigate the post pandemic world, seize opportunities and combat challenges.”

Since its launch at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the business has grown rapidly, both organically with new and existing clients, and by acquiring other practices.

The business has made three significant acquisitions of well-established firms to date including PCLG in York as well Winn & Co and Rayner & Co in Scarborough, with more expected over the next year as the firm looks to continue its growth story.

Speaking about the future, Mr Herbert said: “We are passionate about the Yorkshire region and helping to drive its economic growth through our partnerships with entrepreneurial and growth-focused SMEs and business owners – the lifeblood of the region’s economy.

“We have ambitious plans for growth, including more than doubling turnover to £9m, increasing staff to 100 and launching new offices and sectors, driven organically through our in-house expertise, recruitment of go-to sector experts and strategic acquisitions.

“We have been really happy with how the businesses we have acquired to date have performed as part of the Fortus family and we have a number of other potential targets on our radar.”

He added that he see’s a real opportunity for Fortus in the Leeds market which he describes as “a really important hub” for the business and an area where the business is actively looking for “right sort of opportunity to acquire a firm with the right sort of clients and the right sort of people”.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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