Kelly+Partners enters Europe through the addition of Asple & Co in Ireland
Ambitious Australian accounting and advisory network Kelly+Partners has expanded into Europe though the addition of Kudos International member Asple & Co in the Irish county of Wexford.
Established in 1973, Asple & Co has a headcount of around 20 professionals and revenues pushing toward $3.5 million. The deal sees the full-service accountancy rebrand to Kelly+Partners Wexford, with Denis and Stefan Asple and Sean Bates joining as partners.
As perhaps fitting its name, the move into Ireland marks the first step in Kelly+Partners’ European expansion after building up its presence in the US and Asia over the past two years, with the firm also having bought a majority stake in Kudos International in September.
“We are humbled to be chosen by the exceptional team at Asple & Co,” stated CEO Brett Kelly, who established the firm in North Sydney in 2006 and has since driven its growth based on a strategic owner-operator acquisition model. “This partnership confirms the attractiveness of the Kelly+Partners offer to the owners of leading accountancies.”
Celtic Tiger
Situated about 100 kilometres from the capital in Ireland’s southeast, County Wexford has experienced significant economic and population growth in recent times due to the influx of commuting Dubliners priced out of the city’s housing market and retirees seeking better value for money, along with.investments made during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ boom years.
Asple & Co has been well placed to service both the local population and its newcomers, with a range of offerings in areas such as wealth management and succession planning, pension advisory, and support for business start-ups alongside its more traditional lines in taxation, accounting, payroll, audit, and banking and business advisory.
“This new partnership with Kelly+Partners will allow us to meet the ongoing challenges in our business world with greater resources to access and harness the technology and operational support required to meet the growing demands of our clients, while maintaining if not improving the level of service and guidance we provide to our clients,” the firm stated.
Having also flagged its plans to target the UK market, Kelly+Partners has made no secret of its broader goal of becoming Australia’s first truly global accounting and consulting player. In addition to being its first European branch, Asple & Co is also the first Kudos International member to come on board since Kelly+Partners’ purchase of the network six months ago.
The move makes for an intriguing prospect, with Kudos – described as the world’s fastest-growing organisation of its kind – boasting a global network of 60-plus independent members in 50 countries spread across Europe, the Middle East, Americas, Asia and Africa, including further Irish practices in Donegal, Kerry, and Clare and four members in England and Wales.
