Thames Valley: Whitley Stimpson ranked in top 100 UK accountancy firms

Whitley Stimpson has been officially ranked as one of the country’s top accountancy firms by the prestigious Accountancy Age 50+50 survey.

Released on July 23, the 2015 Accountancy Age Top 50 + 50 issue features the top 100 accountancy firms in the UK and is recognised as the UK’s most comprehensive breakdown of accountancy-sector performance.  To achieve the national honor, Whitley Stimpson’s revenue and growth were measured against accounting firms throughout the country.

Director Malcolm Higgs commented: “We‘re absolutely delighted to have been ranked within the Accountancy Age’s top 50 + 50 list once again.  Being awarded national recognition by such a respected industry voice is a testament to the hard work, expertise and knowledge of our team.

“We continue to grow from strength to strength by providing our clients with a proactive approach to their business needs and by delivering a first-class accountancy, taxation and advisory service. Together with our strategic focus on developing successful specialist-sector niches, this continues to place us in a very competitive position within Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and beyond.”

Accountancy Age 50+50 is the most hotly-anticipated survey in the accountancy sector. It rates firms on operating profit and fee income. This year the survey shows that firms have continued to grow fees, as expected. However, they are still restructuring their own businesses, let alone that of their clients.

While the top 50 firms pushed their fee income towards £12 billion (£11.9b) from £11.4b, the number of partners within these firms has fallen, down 1.4%. This fall in partner numbers is replicated throughout the UK's biggest 100 firms.

"Clearly practices are still working hard to structure themselves in a sustainable fashion for what is a rapidly changing world," said Accountancy Age editor Kevin Reed.

"They are searching to find ways to bring through the partners of the future – many of whom have little interested in taking an equity stake, while setting themselves up to use technology to deal with clients and the taxman in a more digital, and mobile fashion."

Whitley Stimpson has established itself as the leading independent accountancy practice in the M40 corridor, with offices in High Wycombe, Bicester and Banbury. Its growth in recent years has been driven through a process of strategic mergers, the development of specialist sector teams and innovative service offerings and a continued focus on a personal and director-led service to clients.