AN INDEPENDENT accountancy firm in Poole has been acquired by one of the UK's largest accountancy and business advisory services.

The acquisition of Inspire Accountants adds 30 people in business support and client-facing roles to the Azets team, including three partners.

Inspire was established in 2004 and has an office in Commercial Road with 30 employees providing services to around 1,000 clients across Bournemouth, Poole and the wider Solent region.

Azets said Inspire’s clients will benefit from current and future investment in technology, helping to provide a smarter delivery of client services to continue to help them grow, as well as access to more specialist advisory services such as banking and finance, data analytics, cyber security, forensics and restructuring.

Warren Munson, founder and managing director of Inspire Accountants, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Inspire and our clients, and the acquisition demonstrates our commitment to the continued growth of our business, as we enter the next phase of our long and successful journey as part of the UK’s newest top 10 accounting firm. Azets is a business which shares our clear focus on people and clients – it is the perfect fit both strategically and culturally.

“Inspire has a hard-earned reputation for delivering service excellence to businesses across Bournemouth, Poole and the wider Solent region."

As part of Azets, our existing and new SME clients will benefit from an even broader set of specialist expertise, as they continue to drive forward the UK’s economic recovery.”

Adam Wilson, regional managing partner for the Solent region at Azets, said: “We’re excited to welcome Inspire to the Azets family; this firm has a reputation for high-quality people providing high-quality client service. The acquisition is another significant step on our growth journey to increase revenue by 50 per cent in the next five years.

“Inspire is established among the leading accounting and business advisory firms across the Bournemouth, Poole and wider Solent area, with a broad capability across accountancy and business advisory services."

Mr Wilson added: “We believe strongly in the local delivery of personalised client services, whilst giving businesses in the South the opportunity to benefit from our breadth, depth, and experience as an SME focused international accounting, tax, audit, advisory and business services group.

"Inspire has a strong regional reputation for its personable approach and specialist expertise which, combined with Azets’ local and international reach, opens up a wealth of opportunities for our clients.”