GMS awards auditing contract to local firm

GMS Group has announced that it has awarded its auditing contract to local independent accountants Blackthorns over a corporate firm for the first time in over a decade.

GMS Group’s move to appoint a local, independent firm over the big four follows an unprecedented year for business in the region and was prompted by the group’s commitment to work with more independent suppliers in the area.

Speaking about GMS Group’s decision to instruct the Black Country based accountants, CEO Neil Male, said “Blackthorn’s Managing Director, Karen Turner and Director Vicky Brassington personally carried out GMS Group’s first audit, which offered more expertise than we’ve ever experienced before.”

Commercial Director Lisa Nicholson continued, “When making our decision to change provider, we evaluated what proficiencies we needed to work alongside our CEO and FD and sought to find a practice that’s experience complimented the skill sets we have in-house.”

“Our CEO’s background is in finance and we’re already a successful, profitable business so, we were looking to appoint a firm which was able to challenge our existing practices and offer fresh strategic thinking. The fact that Blackthorns is a Black Country business is a bonus; GMS Group is solely owned by the Male family and its roots are firmly grounded in the region.”

Blackthorns, located in Lye, is one of the West Midlands’ fastest growing independent accountants.

Commenting on being awarded GMS Group’s auditing contract, Managing Director Karen Turner said, “we’re delighted to have been appointed by GMS Group. It’s fantastic to work with local businesses, especially when they’re as passionate about the region as GMS. We hope that our new-found working relationship will thrive as we look towards the New Year ahead.”

Blackthorns Director Vicky Brassington continued, “Most businesses consider audit as being part of the humdrum of statutory compliance. We treat it as a platform to plan for a better future and given GMS Group’s consistent growth in recent years, we hope that our innovative service and strategic thinking, will position them well for the years ahead.”

Blackthorns is a firm of Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors, working with starts-ups and SMEs from a broad range of industry sectors on financial and business planning issues, providing a complete solution to accounting, taxation and advisory needs.

For more information about Blackthorns, please visit https://www.theblackthorns.co.uk/