GS Verde Group acquires Astrum Accountants

GS Verde Group, a multi-discipline deal making group focused on corporate finance and mergers and acquisition work, has accelerated its growth with the acquisition of Astrum Accountants. The addition of the South West firm to the group will see outsourced finance director and accounting services added to the integrated professional services provided to businesses on a scale-up or growth trajectory. Astrum will continue to provide finance director and accounts department services to businesses and, as part of the integrated GS Verde Group, its clients will now have access to the group's other services, including legal, corporate finance advice and marketing and communication strategy advice. Following the acquisition, Astrum’s team of accountants and practice staff will continue to operate autonomously from its offices near Bristol. Martin Vincent, founder of Astrum, said: "Joining the GS Verde Group is an exciting and natural progression for Astrum and its team because we love being 'not like other accountants'. Making available an array of specialist professional and strategic services for developing and growing businesses will differentiate and strengthen the Astrum proposition even more.” The addition of Astrum forms part of an ongoing growth strategy for GS Verde Group, to “not only increase its service offering to scale-up business owners, but also to grow the geographical foot-print of the group”. The combined group is now over 50 staff, across four offices and two satellite locations, with the acquisition providing 12 new skilled employees and around £1m of new revenue within the first 12 months of acquisition. Group CEO, Nigel Greenaway, said: "We are delighted to welcome Astrum to our group. As a disruptive, and innovative business ourselves, we have continually looked to add specialist teams to our group that will assist scale-up businesses with integrated professional support focused on fully supporting corporate finance and M&A projects. “Our ability to advise our fast growth clients on the financial, communication and legal aspects of a corporate project, in an integrated offering, has become a real game-changer for the clients and represents a focused value added service across all of our disciplines". In addition to Astrum, the GS Verde Group now includes law firm Greenaway Scott, corporate finance specialists Verde, marketing and communications agency Dragonfly Marketing, and the digitised investment platform, the Elevate investment network.