Wren Sterling’s summer acquisitions have added £400m AUM to the firm after it took over Guildford-based IFA Messer & Matthews in July and in August acquired a majority stake in Cornwall-based The Stockdale Group.

The former deal brought in £150m AUM while the latter added £250m AUM.

The two deals added around 1,000 clients to the firm.

The Stockdale Goup’s Bodmin office has now become Wren Sterling’s ‘hub’ office in the South-West with all 12 members of the former businesses staff joining the Wren Sterling Group.

Stockdale was founded by Keith Stockdale and Sharon Stockdale in 1995 and comprised Stockdale & Co, a financial advisory firm, and Stockdale Asset Management, a DFM business that has been running for over 20 years.

The Group offers Financial Planning services to around 700 individuals and corporate clients, with a specialism in investments, pensions and retirement planning, tax planning and protection. The firm also offers accountancy and wealth management services.

The team of a Chartered Wealth Manager and Financial Planner, financial adviser, two Paraplanners and four administrators have all remained with the firm since the deal was concluded.

James Twining, Wren Sterling’s chief executive, said: “The South-West has always been a bit of a gap for Wren Sterling, despite this being a region with increasing wealth, fuelled by the trend to move out of London post-pandemic. The timing is perfect for us and allows us to increase our footprint in the same way we have done with the North-West and Northern Ireland in the last twelve months.”

Messer & Matthews Ltd was headed by Charles Matthews, a Chartered Financial Planner looking after around £150m AUM for 300 clients.

Wren Sterling will retain the Guildford office for the foreseeable future and the team will work closely with Wren Sterling’s Oxford office, headed by regional director Jason McGuigan.

Wren Sterling has already added several acquisitions this year.

In May the Nottingham-based Financial Planner expanded into Northern Ireland with the acquisition of Ralston Bennett Financial Planning and Aspects Financial. 

The firm has also expanded its presence in the North West with the acquisition of St Helens-based Callisto Wealth, which will become part of Wren Sterling’s north-west hub in Wilmslow.

Other acquisitions this year also include Active Wealth Management and HB&O Financial Services in March, adding 860 clients and £330m in assets.

Wren Sterling Financial Planning Ltd is a national firm of Financial Planners with nine UK offices and around £6.6bn in assets under advice. 

The Wren Sterling Group is backed by Lightyear Capital, a New York-based private equity business that specialises in financial services investments, following a secondary management buyout that took place in December 2021.