Bishop Fleming, the Bristol-based accountants with a string of offices across the South West, is to merge with Midlands-based Rabjohns to create a firm that straddles the M5 corridor from Cornwall to Worcester.
The enlarged firm will have 21 partners and 230 staff. Bishop Fleming, by far the larger of the two firms, has nine offices including Bristol, Bath and Gloucester, while Rabjohns is centred on one office in Worcester.
Bishop Fleming managing partner Matthew Lee said: “Our long-standing relationship has confirmed that both Bishop Fleming and Rabjohns share core values and a common culture in how we engage with our clients and our people.
“This merger will add significantly to our strength in a number of sectors such as charity and education, and sport, leisure and tourism.”
Rabjohns chairman Ian Smith added: “Our decision to join Bishop Fleming is a natural progression of the close working relationship between our two firms over the last decade.”
Both firms are members of the Kreston International network of independent accountancy firms while Rabjohns already uses Bishop Fleming’s payroll services for many of its clients.
The merger also gives Rabjohn’s clients access to one of the country’s largest business recovery teams, and to Bishop Fleming Independent Financial Advisers.
