Newbury-based Chartered Financial Planning firm Chester Rose Financial Planning has acquired Berkshire-based Bespoke IFA, adding £250m in Assets Under Advice.
The deal increases Chester Rose’s total assets under advice to £900m, the firm says.
Chester Rose says the move underlines its intention become a major force in the UK’s independent financial advice market.
Chester Rose was established by Ascot Lloyd founder Richard Dunbabin in 2020 after acquiring Heritage Financial Advisers.
The latest deal is the fourth for the firm which recently acquired Hencilla Canworth, a South East London Financial Planning firm.
Bespoke IFA’s core team and its 500 clients will transfer to Chester Rose, while its CEO Paul Francis, a former colleague of Mr Dunbabin’s at Ascot Lloyd, is retiring.
Richard Dunbabin, CEO of Chester Rose, says: “Having known and worked with Paul, we both knew our businesses have similar values and working practices, making both the acquisition and the post-acquisition integration easier.
"This acquisition is an important next step in our journey and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to building a firm not just of real scale but also of real substance.”
Paul Francis, CEO of Bespoke IFA, says: “Having been with Bespoke IFA since 2017 and helped nurture it into the excellent business that it is today, I am delighted to be handing it over into the safe and very capable hands of Richard and his team at Chester Rose.”
Chester Rose has offices in Newbury, Croydon and Crowthorne Berkshire.