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In 1969 two young chaps who just happened to go under the names Burton (Stuart) and Sweet (David) decided it would be a great idea to set up in business together based from 77 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol.
For several years they had worked together in Ricketts Cooper, a business that can trace its roots back well over 100 years. As this partnership broke up upon the ‘retirement’ of Mr. Harry Cooper so Burton Sweet was formed, opening its doors for business in July 1969.
Soon Stuart was opening up offices in Thornbury and the business was moving forward built on the core belief of caring for the clients as well as for their finances.
Terry Wicks joined in 1973 bringing greater corporate expertise to the practice. For the rest of the decade the practice grew by reputation and contacts – no major marketing programme, no blocks of fees acquired, simply a focus on the team understanding their clients needs and circumstances and ensuring that we were a ‘partnership that really works for you’
The 1980’s saw considerable changes. Neil Kingston and Lloyd Pietersen became partners with a clear focus on expanding corporate services and Terry moved to his real forte – capital taxation and trusts/executorship work.
Although Lloyd subsequently resigned to go back into full time study he left a far stronger structure for David Biddel and Geoff Cole who joined the partnership for the start of the ‘90’s.
Growth has accelerated considerably with the opening of the office in Shepton Mallet in 1991 following the move to purpose built offices in Thornbury the year before. A strategic alliance with Tomlinson Harris Chartered Accountants in Dursley in 1998 was followed by acquisition of that business and the opening of two more offices and a combined work force of over 70 - one of the largest independent providers of financial and business advice in the region. 2005 will see the opening of full time offices in Weston-super-Mare to further strengthen our regional presence.
The range of services has grown to match the business. As well as the core services of accountancy, taxation & audit we now offer strategic planning, business development, asset finance, IT training and support and outsourcing services.
David and then Stuart retired in 1996 and 1999 respectively with Hilton Holding and Des King taking over the vacated partner role and challenges for the new millennium.
Lloyd rejoined us to revitalise the Charity division that complements our other specialist departments of Agriculture & Corporate Finance before moving back into education – this time as a teacher rather than student. Hilton moved on in November 2003 to work for himself.
Our own business plan to expand the service range whilst maintaining the expertise, commitment and value of the services offered is continuing. Based on the original core values of Stuart and David we continue to care for our clients and not just their finances.
And Harry Cooper? Well, he still visits our Clifton office several times a week to keep an eye on all of us and deal with a few clients that he did not relinquish in 1969. It seems that for him, retirement is still some way in the future.
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