Office space tripled at growing Midlands accountancy firm

From left, HB&O’s Phil Ewing, Helen Coombes, Mark Ashfield, Sarah Wilson and Wayne Gutteridge outside HB&O’s new Coventry premises

A leading Midlands-based chartered accountancy and financial services firm has nearly tripled its office space following strong levels of growth.

Harrison Beale & Owen (HB&O) is moving its Coventry team to 8,000 sq ft premises in Wheler Road, having outgrown its current 3,000 sq ft offices in Queens Road.

HB&O’s Queens Road office – which employs 20 of the firm’s 85 staff – has seen a consistent increase in client work in recent years which has prompted the move.

Mark Ashfield, managing director at HB&O, said: “We are experiencing growth right across the business from new clients and existing clients taking on additional services, and the additional space provides us with the facilities we need going forward to meet the demands of our clients.

“In addition to launching new finance brokering services, our tax, Virtual Finance Office, audit and business advisory services have been on a consistent upward trajectory of growth for some time.

“We believe that offering a full range of specialist services, normally only found in national practices, while remaining independent, has been the key to our success.

“We have invested considerably in a major refurbishment and improvement programme and the flexible layout of these new offices provides a high-quality working environment – enabling closer  working between our specialist teams which is key to our ‘one-stop-shop’ approach, while also providing additional meeting space for staff and our clients.

“We are showing our confidence in Coventry by investing in larger premises which will complement our Leamington office.

“We moved our Leamington office out of the town centre more than a decade ago, to relocate to a similar building with more parking and better facilities for staff and for clients and it has proved really successful.

“We felt that with our business developing across all areas the time was right to do the same in Coventry and the new building is perfect in terms of size, location and its profile.

Final preparations are now underway before HB&O’s Coventry team move in to the new premises, which will become known as Seven Stars House, during the Autumn.