National IFA and Financial Planning firm Continuum has reported an 11% increase in client numbers to around 12,000 since the start of 2020.

Martin Brown, managing partner at Continuum, told Financial Planning Today that the figures contradicted recent gloomy forecasts for national adviser businesses post pandemic.

He said that the firm projects that it will hit the £10m mark on turnover this year.

In the firm's last financial year the Plymouth-based planner has seen average client case sizes increase, resulting in a 41% increase in total new business written to £4.3m.

He believes future prospects for financial advisory business have never been more exciting, and this includes for national IFA businesses.

He added: "The view that large advisory firms will struggle to retain and grow their new clients is totally flawed. At Continuum mechanisms to generate sustainable flows of new clients is viewed as business critical, and we are seeing great results. New clients are more discerning than ever before and we must have a mindset of seeking constant improvement. That rings true for any advice firm, large or small."

The trading update from Continuum was released in an attempt to respond to claims from some industry pundits that national advice businesses are likely to suffer years of pain following the Coronavirus pandemic due to struggles in attracting new clients and growing competition from technology-driven robo/hybrid advice offerings.

Mr Brown added that he does not see the recent launch of more hybrid and robo advice offerings as a threat, as "technology is only an enabler with advisers making the real difference."

A report from technology provider Ignition and consultancy firm Altus this week said that financial advice delivery could be up to 80% faster for firms that adopt a hybrid advice model and said that hybrid advice, rather than robo or purely traditional advice models, is the future of Financial Planning.