Tue, 03 Jun 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
Dains Group, a private equity-backed accountancy business, has secured its biggest acquisition to date with a deal for a prominent London-headquartered firm that has a history dating back more than 125 years.
The group has acquired Barnes Roffe, a major accountancy firm with over 29 partners and a team of more than 200 staff working across five offices. Barnes Roffe was established in 1899 and looks after more than 2,000 owner-managed businesses with a combined turnover of £20 billion.
The deal is the second that Dains has completed since securing backing from IK Partners in December 2024 and represents its largest acquisition to date. Adding Barnes Roffe to the group means that Dains now has four key regional hubs across the UK and Ireland, in the South East, Midlands, Scotland and Ireland. According to the group, it is on track to establish itself as a top 20 accountancy firm in the UK by the end of this year.
Dains Chief Executive Richard McNeilly (pictured) commented: "The addition of Barnes Roffe strengthens our national footprint and aligns perfectly with our strategy to deliver exceptional client service and outstanding career opportunities."
He continued: “With a team now exceeding 1,000 professionals, we remain committed to enhancing the value we provide to clients and investing in the development of our talented people.”
“Our ambition is to work in partnership with clients, offering timely, thoughtful advice rooted in a deep understanding of their goals. This approach has underpinned Barnes Roffe’s impressive growth and makes them a natural strategic partner for our group.”
Pete Wilson, partner at IK Partners, said that the deal demonstrated “our ambition to continue building Dains into the leading UK & Ireland SME advisory business by establishing a strong presence, led by an outstanding team at Barnes Roffe, in London and the South-East.” Wilson added that IK Partners "look forward to continuing to back further acquisitions” for Dains Group.
Barnes Roffe Senior Partner Stephen Corner said that the two companies shared “the same values and underlying service proposition” and that together they would “deliver a truly market leading proposition for our clients.”
He added that joining a larger national firm would help to widen Barnes Roffe’s service proposition, increase its range of specialist services and significantly enhance career opportunities for its team.
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