Campbell Dallas expands with acquisition of White & Co

Scottish accountancy firm Campbell Dallas has made a strategic move to expand its business in Ayrshire and the South of Scotland with the acquisition of the Kilmarnock firm of W White & Co.

The deal will see 14 staff transfer with immediate effect, including founder Bill White, who becomes a consultant.

Campbell Dallas already has 180 employees across four offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Perth and Stirling.

The firm will gain around £1 million additional turnover, and the new Kilmarnock office will provide the firm with a permanent base from which to develop the within the Ayrshire market.

Founded in 1981, White & Co has become one of Ayrshire’s leading independent firms with a diverse and high quality owner managed business client base.

The firm provided a broad range of business advisory, tax, management accounting, fund-raising and insolvency services, and had developed a strong presence in the construction, engineering, medical, retail, insolvency and debt recovery markets.

Chris Horne, Campbell Dallas’ managing partner said the acquisition was great news for the staff and clients of both firms: “Bill and I are very pleased with this deal - it allows his team and clients to benefit from our services and industry expertise, and it gives Campbell Dallas an excellent gateway into Ayrshire and the South of Scotland. Ayrshire is an area the firm is keen to develop further and my fellow Partner, Donald Boyd, has advised a good number of existing clients within the area for many years. There is a band of really high quality businesses in this market, and we think there is demand for our entrepreneurial approach to advising clients. We will ensure that there is a strong ‘continuity of service’ for Bill’s clients and staff, and we will invest in the office to ensure there is a smooth and easy transition. From the clients’ view this can only be a good thing.”

Bill White added: “Joining Campbell Dallas is the best possible outcome for our clients and staff. It means we can offer a wider range of advisory services and in-depth technical knowledge in areas such as Tax, VAT and corporate finance, plus offer industry knowledge in a wide range of industry sectors including agriculture, brewing and distilling, dental, professional services and food and drink. It was very important to us that it would be ‘business as usual’ for our clients, many of whom we have served for 20 or more years, and Campbell Dallas shares the same ethos and focus on delivering quality advice. I am delighted that we have partnered with Campbell Dallas, and look forward to helping to develop the newly enlarged firm.”