Grant Thornton pilots small-business growth service 'G' in Liverpool
Liverpool has been selected as the launch city for a new package of support services for smaller businesses and startups. The Merseyside metropolis will be the first UK locale to host the new G platform by Grant Thornton.
Grant Thornton, one of the UK’s largest business consultancies, has moved to bring both existing and new services under a single brand, G. The new platform features a comprehensive range of services including financial advice, strategic planning, operational support, growth support and networking events. G was designed to bridge the gap between start-ups and smaller businesses, and global accountancy and advisory firms.
Small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) spent as much as £60 billion on professional services firms last year, however they also felt that £12 billion of that was wasted on unnecessary work by smaller consulting firms. The key element of G, affordable access to wider strategic planning and advice, and a community of like minded entrepreneurs, is hoped by Grant Thornton to attract those same SMEs who would usually shy away from global accountancy firms due to cost, missing out on the advice and partner networks that a larger firm can offer.
The launch of G in Liverpool marks a major milestone in the evolution of Grant Thornton’s approach to delivering support for dynamic growing businesses. It is the first step in the firm’s ambition to roll out G in other cities, bringing together communities of people who are passionate about entrepreneurship. A number of businesses are already benefiting from the services on offer under the G brand, including AvenueHQ, a campus concept co-working and event space, which launched earlier this year on Liverpool’s waterfront.
The facility is the brainchild of Matthew Kennedy, who is also one of the first entrepreneurs to have had access to the services on offer under the G programme. Kennedy said, “The idea for AvenueHQ had been forming for a while, but the strategic insight and advice from G has been invaluable to help me make it a reality."
Speaking at G’s launch at the new AvenueHQ location, David Hawley, the G-Tax lead for Liverpool, said, “Liverpool was selected as the launch location for the G brand because of its thriving, dynamic small business community. With more than 5,000 new business registrations last year the city-region boasts one of the highest start-up rates in the country. Transformational projects like the Knowledge Quarter and the Superport hold tremendous promise… There’s nothing like G available locally. Competitor offerings combine the financial elements, but not the wider holistic growth support and the community element – things we know are important.”
Stephen Peacock, Partner, Grant Thornton UK, added, “The G community is growing fast. Regular meet ups in our offices and business lounges give G community members the chance to sample new products and enhance their own business networks. Every G service is designed from a client’s viewpoint and the portfolio will evolve as we listen to clients and respond accordingly.”
While it may be the first of its kind in Liverpool, G joins a number of other integrated offerings aimed at the SME market from the consulting industry. In 2014, Big Four firm KPMGlaunched their own such service, KPMG Enterprise. The offering was created to provide SMEs across the country with integrated advisory and accounting services, which, according to the firm, would better enable them to free up time to focus on growth.
