West Suffolk: Accountants Stacey & Partners and Knights Lowe to join forces

Accountancy firms Knights Lowe and Stacey & Partners are to join forces from February 1.

Stacey & Partners, which has offices in Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket and Thetford, will continue to operate under its current identity but as a trading division of Bury-based Knights Lowe.

Three of Stacey’s four partners, Mark Wallace, Michael Nicholls and Richard Alliban, will become directors of Knights Lowe, helping to lead and develoop the practice.

The fourth, Ed Wager, is to retire from the partnership and will reduce his client responsibilities over the coming year.

Mr Nicholls said that, like Stacey & Partners, Knights Lowe had built its business by taking a traditional approach while also embracing new ideas to provide a better service.

“By merging with them, we will remain an independent, locally-based firm which we have no doubt will continue to grow and prosper and, most importantly, provide the kind of proactive, hands-on service we know our clients value,” he said.

“One of the first benefits for clients of the larger firm will be creation of a new specialist tax team and our combined strengths will mean a broader range of skills and experience,” added Mr Nicholls.

Knights Lowe was established in 1987 and since 2001 has been based at Eldo House in Kempson Way on the Suffolk Business Park in Bury. Stacey & Partners traces its history back to the 1920s.