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L-R: Adam Wilson, Dave Fenn

Wilkins Kennedy acquires CW Fellowes

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18th Nov 2013
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Top-25 practice Wilkins Kennedy has acquired CW Fellowes, a firm with offices in Southampton, London and Portsmouth. 

The two firms will now both fall under the Wilkins Kennedy LLP name.

The acquisition extends Wilkins Kennedy's tax, professional services and outsourcing departments and is the second merger of the year. It acquired Matthews Mist & Co earlier this year and has acquired at least one firm a year since 2010, including Charles Stuary, Casey Lester and PR Hornsby & Co in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. However CW Fellowes is one of its biggest deals yet.

Wilkins Kennedy will add two new offices in Portsmouth and Southampton to its existing structure. CW Fellowes will bring 70 and nine directors into the firm, raising the staff count to more than 500.

Kevin Walmsley, managing partner of the Wilkins Kennedy Western region, said the firm had worked alongside CW Fellowes for a number of years as members of international accountancy organisation IAPA and is "delighted" to announce the merger. 

"We recognised mutual ideals across both firms, including our views on client focus, staff support and excellent service. Geographically, the merger is also a good fit and strengthens the Wilkins Kennedy presence across the South of England," he said. 

When not acquiring rival firms in recent years, the firm has been caught up in a long-running legal battle with property company Harlequin. 

The conflict reached a climax in August when two of its team members were implicated in a fraud verdict issued by the Irish high court against a construction company working on Harlequin's Buccament Bay project. More recently, Harlequin settled its libel action against the firm, confirming that neither the firm nor its partner, Martin McDonald, had anything to do with a libellous anti-Harlequin website. 

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