Three of Garbutt & Elliott’s Leeds office directors, (L to R) Richard Green, Richard Feltham and Nigel Shaw
A Leeds - based independent firm of accountants and business advisors which has bucked the recession by increasing its turnover has extended its offices in anticipation of further growth.
Garbutt & Elliott, which launched its Leeds office from scratch in 1990, increased fee income by 15% in 2009 and has invested in almost doubling its office space as part of its commitment to West Yorkshire businesses.
The firm has marked its 20th anniversary in Leeds by leasing and refurbishing an additional 1,800 sq ft ground floor at its offices at Stable Court, Roundhay, which includes large client meeting rooms and increased working space for staff.
Director Richard Green, who has helped grow the Leeds office from when it opened with only four staff, says: “The recession has made businesses focus on value for money. The combination of Garbutt & Elliott having a significant proportion of staff trained by national accountancy practices, our more realistic fee levels and director-led approach has proved very attractive as clients seek to maintain quality and expertise.
“All our key departments in Leeds won work from the West Yorkshire offices of national firms in 2009 with audit and advisory alone growing by 15% and on target to increase this by a further 10% this year.
“We aim to grow Garbutt & Elliott’s West Yorkshire presence and our investment in additional space is a commitment to the market place for the next ten years. We believe that this area has some excellent developing businesses which will need our support and expertise as they meet challenges as the UK emerges from recession.
“The first time we opened in Leeds it was during a recession and the decision to invest and expand this time was taken in similar circumstances. It was certainly a good move for us, and our clients, in 1990 and we hope that this will be the case once again.”
Garbutt & Elliott, which was founded in York more than a century ago, opened its first Leeds office near York Road and moved to the first floor at Stable Court in 1998. The Leeds office now supports a wide range of businesses throughout West Yorkshire and the UK.
A team of more than 20 accountants and support staff are based at the Leeds office along with two other directors, Richard Feltham and Nigel Shaw. The office provides a wide range of services including audit and advisory, corporate finance, private client, tax, property services, forensic accounting, business advisory, VAT and wealth management.
Garbutt & Elliott’s Leeds office is marking its 20th anniversary and office expansion with a series of client open evenings on April 20th, 21st and 22nd.