Member Article

Husband and wife duo expand North East chartered accountancy firm

Applause Accountancy Services Limited has expanded to the Hub, Washington, following a period of sustained growth.

Husband and wife duo Stephen and Julie Relf, who had been operating the chartered accountancy firm from their nearby home in Birtley for the past nine years, said the move was needed in order to facilitate future growth.

Julie, 38, explained: “The business has grown considerably over the last couple of years and we recently took on a new member of staff so we needed to find office accommodation that was still close to home but offered us the flexibility to grow.

“We visited The Hub which is just along the road from where we live and it was ideal. It’s a four-person office located less than one minute from the A1 and offers free car parking which is ideal for clients visiting.

The firm, which helps small to medium sized businesses with their accounting and taxation enquiries, works with clients nationally as far as London and Scotland.“

The pair have seen a steady growth in clients particularly over the last two years and employed their first member of staff, Charlotte Lilley in June this year.

“The Hub is also part of the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) in Sunderland so we know we have access to additional business support should we require it in future.”

Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor, Stephen, 41 commented: “The business is at a stage where we felt it was the right time to move.

“We are taking on more clients and brought Charlotte in to help us with general day to day book-keeping and admin. We have plans to employ more staff in future and The Hub gives us the potential to achieve that.”

Jillian Coleman, Centre Manager at The Hub said, “We receive a lot of enquiries from small businesses similar to Applause Accountancy Services who are operating from home but are at a stage where they need to grow their business and require larger premises.

“Rather than taking on a huge asset like an office, we can provide flexible managed office space allowing businesses to grow but without the headache of additional costs and hidden charges.

“We already have a waiting list and when this office became available, it was ideal for Julie and Stephen to move straight in.”