Tax
-
eaga plc
"Steve was an inspired choice. Because of the unique complexities of the ownership of eaga, the trustees and the directors had to grapple with a wide range of significant interlinked issues. Steve became an integral part of the team and provided excellent guidance often making extremely complicated issues simple to understand.
I was very impressed by the unw team throughout. At eaga we are proud of our culture and own commitment to service excellence; I think the unw team demonstrated their commitment to service excellence throughout the IPO process, frequently exceeding our already high expectations. They also demonstrated a good sense of humour".
–John Clough, ex-Chief Executive
-
n-psl Limited
"I was very excited when I came across the filtration technology developed by Bath University as I could see massive commercial potential. However there were a number of complexities in putting the deal together and unw guided us expertly throughout the process".
–Colin Billiet
-
Responsive Group
"We believe we have received better, more constructive advice compared to the advice we received from our previous advisors. We were delighted with the work that you carried out in relation to our acquisition of Exact Engineering. We have been particularly impressed with unw’s tax team. We benefit from regular and easy contact with the partners at unw.
We get an excellent level of responsiveness and service from unw and feel as thought this is a priority to your firm. We have achieved significant cost savings as a result of moving to unw. We have never received any form of adverse comment in relation to our decision to move from a Big 4 firm to a local independent firm".
–Steve Simpson, Group Financial Director
Corporate Finance
-
Karting North East
“Neville and Mark, who themselves had owned karts and raced on the circuit were instrumental in finding me the most suitable buyer for Karting North East; I don’t think they could have found anyone more suitable than a well known British Rally champion (Guy Wilks) from the region. Their commercial thinking around the business and expert advice was key to ensuring a successful sale was reached”.
–Ian Lawson, Vendor
-
Partridge Trading Limited
“unw provided invaluable advice throughout the deal and were incredible in sourcing reputable investors who really believe in the business and the brand.”
“They provided us with financial help and advice to build on the plans that we had to bring Partridge back as a leading country inspired luxury fashion brand.”
–Nick Oliver, Managing Director
-
Omega Plastics
“What this investment is going to enable us to do is increase our injection moulding capacity and also allow us to support the additional tooling requirements through an investment in the machine tool area of the facility.
“The advice we received from unw was invaluable. They were very efficient and managed the whole process, which was exactly what we needed because this is a resource we just don’t have in-house.
“Having secured the grant we will make the investment in the machinery and recruit seven new people to join our team over the next three months.”
–David Crone, Managing Director
-
Ramsdens Financial
“unw has a good understanding of our business. They understand the personalities and have been able to express their opinions on the company as part of a close working relationship, which has been crucial. Yes, they are accountants so provide us with VAT and tax advice and undertake our audit, but the added value has been their commercial thinking around the business.”
–Peter Kenyon, Chief Executive
-
eaga plc
"Acquiring financial support was important as part of our plans to win new contracts and expand our business with the prospect of creating additional North East jobs.
The process can be complex and time consuming, but we were delighted that Mark Simpson of unw was able to guide our management team through the development of the planning process, forecasts, eventual successful submission to ONE and subsequent negotiations".
–Scott Hopkinson
-
Vendor of DW Tilley to Mitie PLC
"A brief note of thanks for all the hard work unw have put in on the sale of the Company. In particular we would like to pass on our thanks to Zara (Lane). Throughout the process from negotiation to completion she has handled the matter diligently and professionally and I would not hesitate to recommend her to any other individual selling or buying a business".
–Dave Tilley, Vendor of DW Tilley to Mitie PLC
-
Waters & Robson
"I appointed unw to advise me on the sale. I found their advice to be superb throughout. We had interest from several national and international companies however unw managed the process so that we were always in control.
The pace of the negotiations moved up several gears during the last week of the sale as Coke's London based M&A team, supplemented by specialists flown in from all over the world, chose to work through the night. I sat through all the negotiations and unw proved to be more than a match for them".
–Tony Robson (Managing Director and controlling shareholder of Waters & Robson (Abbey Well) prior to the sale to Coca Cola)
-
Ferschl Group
“unw were a pleasure to work with during the process. They were a stabilising influence throughout, and their professionalism and knowledge has been invaluable. Since the buy-out, times have been very challenging, but the unw team have been there as a continuing support both professionally and personally and in this current economic climate their approach has been a major influence on our success”
–Paul Jordan, Managing Director
-
Hertel Technical Services
“Given the availability and cost viability of utilising ‘in house’ resources and facilities overseas, we would have had to consider the manufacture of the modular cabins and bathroom units outside the UK. The downturn in economic climate meant that there was a strong commercial case for doing that.
“With the assistance received from One North East and the critical advice from unw we are absolutely delighted that we were able to make sure that the contract started and ended in the North East.”
–Tony Scott, Commercial Director
-
i-Evo Limited
“We spent 18 months researching and developing our own biometric control reader which has far superior qualities than the three market leading ones manufactured by companies in the Far East. What makes our reader unique is that it won’t be harmed by the elements, it has a built in temperature thermostat control system so it works down to -20 degrees and is vandal resistant. There are lots of biometric finger print readers around but they are unable to scan through dirt, dust and some types of latex gloves and ours can.
We are really grateful to the team at unw who were absolutely instrumental in helping us access this North Star investment, which will allow us to manufacture in the North-East and us to target many more markets.”
–Shaun Oakes, Managing Director
Audit and Assurance
-
Midland Steel Traders Limited
“Since MST moved the audit and tax work to unw . . . ., I have found them to be proactive, responsive and able to help us in growing our business. The audit process was very thorough without disrupting the finance team and the process was wrapped up with in the timetable set before the year end. I would strongly recommend the service offered by unw.”
–Alex Roberts, Commercial Director
-
Unika Innovation
“Our initial concerns over switching from a big 4 firm to a local provider proved to be completely unfounded as the transition process was extremely smooth and efficient.
“It’s good to be able to pick up the phone without the feeling that you’re instantly on the clock as with our previous auditors. It was nice to have an audit partner involved again”
–Lee Etherington, Finance Director
-
Diocese of Newcastle and Durham
The Board were particularly appreciative of the extra effort put in by yourself (Joanna Grey) and your team in turning around the accounts, etc. in such a short space of time. Once again, many thanks.
–Kevin Scott, Finance Director
-
Crossling Limited
"As a locally based company with a £75m turnover, we were keen to ensure that we moved to a firm with the necessary expertise and experience to handle our audit, tax compliance and tax advisory work. Having been with our previous advisors for over 20 years, we had to be convinced that unw had the capability to deliver the services we required. We have now been advised by unw for 2 years and our Finance Director and myself are entirely satisfied that we took the right decision and remain happy with the audit and tax services provided…we believe unw gives us a more hands on approach and is more proactive to our needs".
–Richard Errington, Managing Director
-
Culture North East
"...However, amongst the thanks and farewells we made the Directors and staff team present were unanimous in requesting that I write to you both (Andrew Wilson & Joanna Gray) to offer our very sincere and heartfelt thanks for the work you have undertaken on our behalf. The support you have given at crucial times has been invaluable, we have appreciated the speed with which you reacted and the thoroughness and clarity with which you advised us. Culture North East has been fortunate in many ways...and we have certainly been well supported and assisted by you as our Auditors".
–Olivia Grant, Former Chair
-
Cels Group
"The Cels Group is delighted with the quality of our audit and the smooth transition to unw LLP. The audit team has been professional and approachable and taken on board our comments about how we would like the audit to progress. unw worked with us to produce a high quality set of financial statements. We are grateful for the work they have put in to make the first audit a faster and more efficient process".
–Alastair Balls, Chair, Audit Committee
-
Codeworks
“Despite being a new client for unw, we found that the audit was performed efficiently and with minimum disruption. The Audit Committee felt that, during the planning process, unw had appropriately identified key areas that were critical to the business and therefore of relevant concern to them and the Board of Directors. It was also evident that Andrew Wilson adopted a well informed but balanced, common sense business approach to these key issues. The Board was particularly impressed with the ‘Clearance Document’ which provided an extremely useful overview of the Group’s position, and of issues arising during the course of the audit. This greatly assisted the Directors in making appropriate decisions in respect of the financial statements. Overall we were very pleased with the level of service, the good response times in terms of communication, and we acknowledge that the change in auditors has brought a new, fresh and beneficial insight to the Group’s activities.”
–John McDonald, Finance Manager
Business Services
-
Chapmans Furniture
“The unw sessions were extremely well organised and helped me to look at planning strategically for the business. They provided me with an opportunity to step outside of the business and work together with Alan to re-assess and revaluate what we are doing.
unw doesn’t just have some great accountants but are also great business advisors. The sessions were extremely well organised and helped me to look at planning strategically for the business.”
–John Chapman, Managing Director
-
New Skills Consulting Limited
"The strategy project with unw provided our senior management team with time and space, away from the day-to-day issues of running the business, to really analyse and debate our plans for the future. The facilitator helped us to hone in on the key opportunities and challenges before us, to understand which of them will be critical in shaping the future success of the business, and to clarify how we’ll balance our personal objectives and responsibilities with business success. Our new strategic plan creates a future vision of the business, supported by a detailed 5 year financial profile and a really practical action plan to help us achieve our goals. I would highly recommend the service to any business that needs to clarify and plan its future strategic direction and financial performance".
–Peter Graham, Managing Director
-
Shimmer Telecom Limited
"Thanks very much for the session (with yourself and Alan) last week, and the subsequent documentation. It has acted as a useful way for me to structure more clearly my thinking about the potential next stages for me to take and I will certainly be recommending it to others".
–Seamus Butler, Managing Director
-
Greg Cadman
“I have recently bought a dental practice for the first time and really needed good help and advice. I found Alan (Suggett) to be extremely knowledgeable in all aspects related to the purchase and he was able to guide me through the process very easily. He was particularly helpful in drawing up a business plan and calculating a suitable price to offer the vendor. He was always contactable if advice was needed and he also introduced me to very experienced people in areas such as banking, insurance cover and legal matters”.
–Greg Cadman
-
SRDP - Sunderland & Dean Road Dental Practices, South Shields
"Alan Suggett has provided accountancy services and advice to our dental practices for a number of years and we have recently followed him when he joined unw. His experience of working with local dental practitioners and understanding of the business of dentistry is unrivalled in the North East. When we expanded the practice his knowledge of goodwill values and financial modelling was particularly helpful. With input from his colleagues at unw he has recently helped us to mitigate the effects on our business of the planned changes in tax regime in April 2010 and 2011, taking into account the clear benefits of the incorporation of our business on which he also provided advice".
–Paul Blaylock
-
Red Box Design Group
“There’s an element of risk outsourcing all your accountancy services, but we get a really personal service with unw and always know who we are going to get.
“We also have strategic meetings throughout the year which allows us to talk generally and get fresh eyes on business ideas, or issues surrounding pensions or tax, and that’s been absolutely first class”.
–Alan Smith OBE, Chairman
-
Eaga Partnership Trust
“unw have provided administration and accountancy services to the Eaga Partnership Trust for the past three years. The trust has a significant value of varied assets and investments and circa 4,500 beneficiaries therefore our affairs are not straightforward however unw help us to keep everything as simple and straightforward as possible.
unw provide a very efficient outsourced service to the trust and the trust’s companies. They deal with all our accounting administration requirements including invoice and payment processing, bookkeeping, preparation of monthly management accounts and year end accounts and tax returns. In addition we also use unw for advice in relation to a wide range of matters and they have been very proactive in helping us to save money by picking up on opportunities from the day to day work.
We recently reviewed unw’s appointment as part of our rolling program of reviewing the trust’s professional advisors and they received an excellent review and praise. In addition to the quality of the work performed we considered the fees charged to be excellent value for money and one of our trustees who has used a Big 4 accountancy firm in his other businesses described using unw as like getting a Big 4 service at a fraction of the price.
I think it is also worth noting that we find all of the unw people are very pleasant and easy to get on with. They have a clear culture and commitment towards service excellence which reflects in their work".
–Ken Temple, Chair
-
Cels Group
"The Cels Group is delighted with the quality of our audit and the smooth transition to unw LLP. The audit team has been professional and approachable and taken on board our comments about how we would like the audit to progress. unw worked with us to produce a high quality set of financial statements. We are grateful for the work they have put in to make the first audit a faster and more efficient process".
–Alastair Balls, Chair, Audit Committee
-
Chapmans Furniture
“The unw sessions were extremely well organised and helped me to look at planning strategically for the business. They provided me with an opportunity to step outside of the business and work together with Alan to re-assess and revaluate what we are doing.
unw doesn’t just have some great accountants but are also great business advisors. The sessions were extremely well organised and helped me to look at planning strategically for the business.”
–John Chapman, Managing Director
-
Codeworks
“Despite being a new client for unw, we found that the audit was performed efficiently and with minimum disruption. The Audit Committee felt that, during the planning process, unw had appropriately identified key areas that were critical to the business and therefore of relevant concern to them and the Board of Directors. It was also evident that Andrew Wilson adopted a well informed but balanced, common sense business approach to these key issues. The Board was particularly impressed with the ‘Clearance Document’ which provided an extremely useful overview of the Group’s position, and of issues arising during the course of the audit. This greatly assisted the Directors in making appropriate decisions in respect of the financial statements. Overall we were very pleased with the level of service, the good response times in terms of communication, and we acknowledge that the change in auditors has brought a new, fresh and beneficial insight to the Group’s activities.”
–John McDonald, Finance Manager
-
Crossling Limited
"As a locally based company with a £75m turnover, we were keen to ensure that we moved to a firm with the necessary expertise and experience to handle our audit, tax compliance and tax advisory work. Having been with our previous advisors for over 20 years, we had to be convinced that unw had the capability to deliver the services we required. We have now been advised by unw for 2 years and our Finance Director and myself are entirely satisfied that we took the right decision and remain happy with the audit and tax services provided…we believe unw gives us a more hands on approach and is more proactive to our needs".
–Richard Errington, Managing Director
-
Culture North East
"...However, amongst the thanks and farewells we made the Directors and staff team present were unanimous in requesting that I write to you both (Andrew Wilson & Joanna Gray) to offer our very sincere and heartfelt thanks for the work you have undertaken on our behalf. The support you have given at crucial times has been invaluable, we have appreciated the speed with which you reacted and the thoroughness and clarity with which you advised us. Culture North East has been fortunate in many ways...and we have certainly been well supported and assisted by you as our Auditors".
–Olivia Grant, Former Chair
-
Diocese of Newcastle and Durham
The Board were particularly appreciative of the extra effort put in by yourself (Joanna Grey) and your team in turning around the accounts, etc. in such a short space of time. Once again, many thanks.
–Kevin Scott, Finance Director
-
Eaga Partnership Trust
“unw have provided administration and accountancy services to the Eaga Partnership Trust for the past three years. The trust has a significant value of varied assets and investments and circa 4,500 beneficiaries therefore our affairs are not straightforward however unw help us to keep everything as simple and straightforward as possible.
unw provide a very efficient outsourced service to the trust and the trust’s companies. They deal with all our accounting administration requirements including invoice and payment processing, bookkeeping, preparation of monthly management accounts and year end accounts and tax returns. In addition we also use unw for advice in relation to a wide range of matters and they have been very proactive in helping us to save money by picking up on opportunities from the day to day work.
We recently reviewed unw’s appointment as part of our rolling program of reviewing the trust’s professional advisors and they received an excellent review and praise. In addition to the quality of the work performed we considered the fees charged to be excellent value for money and one of our trustees who has used a Big 4 accountancy firm in his other businesses described using unw as like getting a Big 4 service at a fraction of the price.
I think it is also worth noting that we find all of the unw people are very pleasant and easy to get on with. They have a clear culture and commitment towards service excellence which reflects in their work".
–Ken Temple, Chair
-
eaga plc
"Steve was an inspired choice. Because of the unique complexities of the ownership of eaga, the trustees and the directors had to grapple with a wide range of significant interlinked issues. Steve became an integral part of the team and provided excellent guidance often making extremely complicated issues simple to understand.
I was very impressed by the unw team throughout. At eaga we are proud of our culture and own commitment to service excellence; I think the unw team demonstrated their commitment to service excellence throughout the IPO process, frequently exceeding our already high expectations. They also demonstrated a good sense of humour".
–John Clough, ex-Chief Executive
-
eaga plc
"Acquiring financial support was important as part of our plans to win new contracts and expand our business with the prospect of creating additional North East jobs.
The process can be complex and time consuming, but we were delighted that Mark Simpson of unw was able to guide our management team through the development of the planning process, forecasts, eventual successful submission to ONE and subsequent negotiations".
–Scott Hopkinson
-
Ferschl Group
“unw were a pleasure to work with during the process. They were a stabilising influence throughout, and their professionalism and knowledge has been invaluable. Since the buy-out, times have been very challenging, but the unw team have been there as a continuing support both professionally and personally and in this current economic climate their approach has been a major influence on our success”
–Paul Jordan, Managing Director
-
Greg Cadman
“I have recently bought a dental practice for the first time and really needed good help and advice. I found Alan (Suggett) to be extremely knowledgeable in all aspects related to the purchase and he was able to guide me through the process very easily. He was particularly helpful in drawing up a business plan and calculating a suitable price to offer the vendor. He was always contactable if advice was needed and he also introduced me to very experienced people in areas such as banking, insurance cover and legal matters”.
–Greg Cadman
-
Hertel Technical Services
“Given the availability and cost viability of utilising ‘in house’ resources and facilities overseas, we would have had to consider the manufacture of the modular cabins and bathroom units outside the UK. The downturn in economic climate meant that there was a strong commercial case for doing that.
“With the assistance received from One North East and the critical advice from unw we are absolutely delighted that we were able to make sure that the contract started and ended in the North East.”
–Tony Scott, Commercial Director
-
i-Evo Limited
“We spent 18 months researching and developing our own biometric control reader which has far superior qualities than the three market leading ones manufactured by companies in the Far East. What makes our reader unique is that it won’t be harmed by the elements, it has a built in temperature thermostat control system so it works down to -20 degrees and is vandal resistant. There are lots of biometric finger print readers around but they are unable to scan through dirt, dust and some types of latex gloves and ours can.
We are really grateful to the team at unw who were absolutely instrumental in helping us access this North Star investment, which will allow us to manufacture in the North-East and us to target many more markets.”
–Shaun Oakes, Managing Director
-
Karting North East
“Neville and Mark, who themselves had owned karts and raced on the circuit were instrumental in finding me the most suitable buyer for Karting North East; I don’t think they could have found anyone more suitable than a well known British Rally champion (Guy Wilks) from the region. Their commercial thinking around the business and expert advice was key to ensuring a successful sale was reached”.
–Ian Lawson, Vendor
-
Midland Steel Traders Limited
“Since MST moved the audit and tax work to unw . . . ., I have found them to be proactive, responsive and able to help us in growing our business. The audit process was very thorough without disrupting the finance team and the process was wrapped up with in the timetable set before the year end. I would strongly recommend the service offered by unw.”
–Alex Roberts, Commercial Director
-
n-psl Limited
"I was very excited when I came across the filtration technology developed by Bath University as I could see massive commercial potential. However there were a number of complexities in putting the deal together and unw guided us expertly throughout the process".
–Colin Billiet
-
New Skills Consulting Limited
"The strategy project with unw provided our senior management team with time and space, away from the day-to-day issues of running the business, to really analyse and debate our plans for the future. The facilitator helped us to hone in on the key opportunities and challenges before us, to understand which of them will be critical in shaping the future success of the business, and to clarify how we’ll balance our personal objectives and responsibilities with business success. Our new strategic plan creates a future vision of the business, supported by a detailed 5 year financial profile and a really practical action plan to help us achieve our goals. I would highly recommend the service to any business that needs to clarify and plan its future strategic direction and financial performance".
–Peter Graham, Managing Director
-
Omega Plastics
“What this investment is going to enable us to do is increase our injection moulding capacity and also allow us to support the additional tooling requirements through an investment in the machine tool area of the facility.
“The advice we received from unw was invaluable. They were very efficient and managed the whole process, which was exactly what we needed because this is a resource we just don’t have in-house.
“Having secured the grant we will make the investment in the machinery and recruit seven new people to join our team over the next three months.”
–David Crone, Managing Director
-
Partridge Trading Limited
“unw provided invaluable advice throughout the deal and were incredible in sourcing reputable investors who really believe in the business and the brand.”
“They provided us with financial help and advice to build on the plans that we had to bring Partridge back as a leading country inspired luxury fashion brand.”
–Nick Oliver, Managing Director
-
Ramsdens Financial
“unw has a good understanding of our business. They understand the personalities and have been able to express their opinions on the company as part of a close working relationship, which has been crucial. Yes, they are accountants so provide us with VAT and tax advice and undertake our audit, but the added value has been their commercial thinking around the business.”
–Peter Kenyon, Chief Executive
-
Red Box Design Group
“There’s an element of risk outsourcing all your accountancy services, but we get a really personal service with unw and always know who we are going to get.
“We also have strategic meetings throughout the year which allows us to talk generally and get fresh eyes on business ideas, or issues surrounding pensions or tax, and that’s been absolutely first class”.
–Alan Smith OBE, Chairman
-
Responsive Group
"We believe we have received better, more constructive advice compared to the advice we received from our previous advisors. We were delighted with the work that you carried out in relation to our acquisition of Exact Engineering. We have been particularly impressed with unw’s tax team. We benefit from regular and easy contact with the partners at unw.
We get an excellent level of responsiveness and service from unw and feel as thought this is a priority to your firm. We have achieved significant cost savings as a result of moving to unw. We have never received any form of adverse comment in relation to our decision to move from a Big 4 firm to a local independent firm".
–Steve Simpson, Group Financial Director
-
Shimmer Telecom Limited
"Thanks very much for the session (with yourself and Alan) last week, and the subsequent documentation. It has acted as a useful way for me to structure more clearly my thinking about the potential next stages for me to take and I will certainly be recommending it to others".
–Seamus Butler, Managing Director
-
SRDP - Sunderland & Dean Road Dental Practices, South Shields
"Alan Suggett has provided accountancy services and advice to our dental practices for a number of years and we have recently followed him when he joined unw. His experience of working with local dental practitioners and understanding of the business of dentistry is unrivalled in the North East. When we expanded the practice his knowledge of goodwill values and financial modelling was particularly helpful. With input from his colleagues at unw he has recently helped us to mitigate the effects on our business of the planned changes in tax regime in April 2010 and 2011, taking into account the clear benefits of the incorporation of our business on which he also provided advice".
–Paul Blaylock
-
Unika Innovation
“Our initial concerns over switching from a big 4 firm to a local provider proved to be completely unfounded as the transition process was extremely smooth and efficient.
“It’s good to be able to pick up the phone without the feeling that you’re instantly on the clock as with our previous auditors. It was nice to have an audit partner involved again”
–Lee Etherington, Finance Director
-
Vendor of DW Tilley to Mitie PLC
"A brief note of thanks for all the hard work unw have put in on the sale of the Company. In particular we would like to pass on our thanks to Zara (Lane). Throughout the process from negotiation to completion she has handled the matter diligently and professionally and I would not hesitate to recommend her to any other individual selling or buying a business".
–Dave Tilley, Vendor of DW Tilley to Mitie PLC
-
Waters & Robson
"I appointed unw to advise me on the sale. I found their advice to be superb throughout. We had interest from several national and international companies however unw managed the process so that we were always in control.
The pace of the negotiations moved up several gears during the last week of the sale as Coke's London based M&A team, supplemented by specialists flown in from all over the world, chose to work through the night. I sat through all the negotiations and unw proved to be more than a match for them".
–Tony Robson (Managing Director and controlling shareholder of Waters & Robson (Abbey Well) prior to the sale to Coca Cola)
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