Aston Shaw buys Norwich based advisory Roger Hopkins

Professional services firm Aston Shaw has acquired Roger Hopkins, a Norwich-based accounting and advisory firm. Six professionals will transfer to Aston Shaw, with the owner of Roger Hopkins continuing in a consultancy role.

With over 70 staff across 5 offices – in Norwich, Cambridge, Ipswich, Dereham and Great Yarmouth – Aston Shaw is one of the larger professional services firms in East Anglia. In line with its ambition to grow its footprint in the region, the business advisory earlier this month acquired Roger Hopkins Chartered Accountants, Norwich-based competitor with seven employees. Roger Hopkins was established in 1980 by Roger Hopkins and has since grown to a reputable small accountancy practice in Norwich with a portfolio of over 300 clients. Following owner Hopkins’ decision to retire, he sought a new shareholder for the firm, and on the back of a due diligence on a number of industry players he handpicked Aston Shaw to continue the firm’s heritage.

“My decision to allow Roger Hopkins to become Aston Shaw was made with my clients and staff as my priority. I am impressed with the approach Aston Shaw take in regards to growth, client care and level of service – something that is unique for a practice of its size. I wanted to have a guarantee that both my staff and clients would receive the same level of care and attention that we have maintained over the years, and I look forward to offering my help throughout the transition,” comments Hopkins.

The transaction will see the six staff members retained by Aston Shaw and the existing office will remain at 18 Princes Street, Norwich. Mark Noakes, Director at Aston Shaw comments: “Roger Hopkins is a highly regarded and well respected firm in the city. There was a huge amount of competition to secure the deal and we are thrilled that Roger selected Aston Shaw to carry on building the firm he created.” To ensure continuity toward clients, Roger Hopkins will remain involved and continue to work alongside Aston Shaw on a consultancy basis.

The purchase of Roger Hopkins is the second deal for Aston Shaw in the space of less than a year. In August 2014 it merged with counterpart Morgan Woods, while going forward the firm’s partner team have revealed they are well on track to “continue the upward trend”.