Tue, 19 Aug 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
Professional services group S&W has struck its first acquisition since becoming a standalone business earlier this year after agreeing to acquire Dublin-based accountancy and tax advisory services provider Beechwood Partners.
Following the takeover, Beechwood’s 35-strong team will join S&W Ireland, which is based in Sandyford and currently employs over 80 staff. Across its wider UK and Ireland operations, S&W has over 1,850 staff and more than 120 partners.
S&W’s current offering in Ireland spans corporate tax advice, assurance, business services, transaction services, forensic advice and recovery and restructuring. The acquisition of Beechwood Partners means that the firm will be able to provide clients in Ireland with a suite of private client tax solutions, whilst simultaneously strengthening its business outsourcing services and business tax offering.
S&W became a standalone group in March 2025, following the sale of Evelyn Partners’ professional services division. S&W’s heritage stems from Smith & Williamson, which traded from 1881 before merging with Tilney to form Tilney Smith & Williamson in 2020. In 2022, the group rebranded as Evelyn Partners.
Following its sale by Evelyn Partners, S&W secured funding from private equity firm Apax Funds. The acquisition of Beechwood Partners represents the group’s first takeover and it is planning to complete further deals as it seeks to accelerate its growth and strengthen its offering to clients.
Weston Allen, partner at Beechwood Partners, said that, having operated as an independent business for 20 years, the timing was right for the company to partner “with a large, well-established firm”.
Allen continued: "Having considered a number of options, S&W has given us every confidence that this deal will empower us with the necessary infrastructure and support to improve and expand our service offerings while continuing to grow our business and service our clients’ needs.”
Allen added that Beechwood Partners’ team would “form the basis for S&W’s new Irish private client tax service” and said that this would draw on S&W’s heritage in the area while ensuring a smooth transition for Beechwood’s client base.
S&W Chief Executive Andrew Wilkes commented: "Beechwood Partners is a highly respected business that shares our partner-led approach of developing long-standing relationships with clients and adding meaningful value. This deal strengthens our position in Ireland and forms part of our growth strategy of acquiring high-quality accountancy firms with complementary expertise.”
John O'Callaghan, Managing Partner at S&W Ireland, added: “Acquiring Beechwood Partners builds on our long-standing commitment to the Irish market and forms part of our ambitious expansion plans of growing through M&A as well as hiring staff at all levels.”
Read more about professional services M&A
The company is a highly regarded, independent provider of accounts payable (AP) and VAT recovery audit services for public- and private-sector clients based across the UK.
This well-established East Anglia-based practice offers a solid foundation with a high proportion of limited company clients and significant potential for growth through the introduction of additional services.
Well established for over 35 years, this Scottish-based practice offers a solid client base with a high proportion of limited company clients, providing a strong foundation for future growth.
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