DJH acquires Bootle’s SB&P accountants as it grows its North West network

‘We’ve had a clear ambition to deepen our Liverpool presence for some time’

Acquisitive private equity-backed accountancy group DJH has acquired a Bootle practice to grow its presence in Liverpool and beyond. DJH’s deal for SB&P in Bootle means it now has six offices across Liverpool city centre, Ellesmere Port and Wirral.

DJH says the SB&P leadership team of Wendy McNulty, Rob Young and Suzanne Draper will remain in place as they introduce new services to their business.

This is the 19th acquisition made by DJH since 2020 and it now employs more than 700 across the UK and Ireland. The business, backed by private equity specialists Tenzing, is headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent and beyond its North and Midlands heartlands has bases in Yorkshire, Bexley and in Dublin.

Scott Heath, CEO of DJH, said: “We’ve had a clear ambition to deepen our Liverpool presence for some time.

“Last year’s acquisition of three Haines Watts offices in the North West put a marker in the sand and we’re building on the potential in this region by going even further and bringing SB&P into the family.

“The more we learned about its clients, its team, and the values it has built the business around, the more excited we became about bringing this partnership to life. This is a practice that has earned genuine trust and loyalty in Liverpool, and that’s something you can’t manufacture. It perfectly complements everything we’ve already built across the region.

“We’ve found that a city centre office works best when paired with an out-of-town presence – our offices in Chester City with Ellesmere Port, and Manchester with Altrincham are great examples of that in action.

“SB&P’s Bootle location, paired with our Liverpool city office, reflects that same approach, and gives us a dominant local presence that we’re incredibly proud to be part of.”

He added: “With billions of pounds of regeneration investment flowing into the city, a fast-growing SME sector, and a wave of businesses scaling up on the back of increasing inward investment, demand for high-quality, locally rooted professional advice has never been greater.

“Liverpool and the North West have real momentum, and we want to make sure the businesses driving that momentum have access to the very best advice.”

Wendy McNulty, director at SB&P, added: “We’ve always believed that real relationships are at the heart of everything we do. Joining DJH gives our team and our clients access to a much wider platform, while preserving the personal, advice-led culture we’ve worked so hard to build. We’re excited about what this means for Liverpool.”