Wealth management group Evelyn Partners has acquired Newcastle upon Tyne-based accountancy and tax specialist firm Leathers, for an undisclosed sum.
Leathers was founded in 1990 by Michael Leather and provides tax advice to high net worth individuals, families, business owners and corporates, with a focus on succession and business planning.
Andrew Wilkes, chief professional services director at Evelyn Partners, said: “We are delighted to have acquired Leathers. Michael Leather has built a highly respected firm with a great client base and one which is a very complementary fit with Evelyn Partners both in terms of expertise and culture.
“Strategically, this acquisition will further develop our professional services presence in the north of England, supporting our ambition of being able to provide our range of professional services to private clients and businesses right across the UK. I look forward to welcoming Stuart Wright and Ryan Harrison to the partnership group where their expertise and experience will be a great asset to us in developing our professional services offering in the north of England.”
Michael Leather, senior partner and founder of Leathers, added: “Forward planning, client service and development of the team have been at the forefront of our success but in a changing environment, it is time for the business to gear up, extend the resources available to clients and to further develop the client service offering.
“Identifying the best way to do this has been challenging, but Evelyn Partners’ clear commitment to developing the business and their range and depth of resource have been key to the decision we took.”
This comes several weeks after Evelyn signed up an eighth financial advice firm to its succession programme which was launched in 2021.