A SIXTY per cent rise in the number of corporate deals completed year on year is being celebrated by a York firm of accountants.

Monks Cross-based Garbutt + Elliott, which also has an office in Leeds, saw its completed deals, undertook in a variety of business sectors, rise from 20 in 2016 to 32 last year, with a combined deal value of £118 million.

Deals completed during the year included the sale of a 48 per cent stake in financial service provider AFS Group to Aldermore Bank and the management buyout of TEV, a Brighouse-based manufacturer, by private equity fund manager YFM Equity Partners.

Bosses at the firm say they are now looking to expand the corporate finance team, which has a combined experience of more than 80 years, and provides advice on business sales, mergers and acquisitions, accessing growth finance through bank and private equity funding, management buyouts, flotations and business valuations.

Garbutt + Elliott partner and head of corporate finance, Richard Feltham said: “We have built even further on our positive 2016 with strong results in 2017 and a significant increase in the number of deals we have advised on both within and outside the Yorkshire region.

“We are looking ahead to further expansion, which will include additional hires and the launch of new services for our clients.”

During 2017, the corporate finance team raised £30 million of funding for clients, advising many businesses on ambitious expansion and growth plans. This included Wilde Child Brewing which expaned into new premises in Armley, Leeds after securing funding from the Business Enterprise Fund with the assistance of Garbutt + Elliott.

Commenting on the next 12 months, partner Tony Farmer added: “We already have a strong pipeline of interesting deals within the food, construction, digital and engineering sectors.

“We are determined to build on our success and further enhance the service we provide to our clients to help them achieve their goals and objectives.”

Working with businesses throughout Yorkshire, Garbutt + Elliott operates across a range of sectors including retail, manufacturing, food, brewing, creative arts, digital media, property, construction, horseracing and charities.