Laurence and Ben discuss two Insider lists, a merger involving a historic accountancy firm and a new managing partner at a prominent law firm.
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00:00Two new insider lists, a merger involving a historic South East accountancy firm, and
00:06a new managing partner at Muckle.
00:08That's all coming up in today's Business Briefing.
00:17My name is Lawrence Gleganon.
00:19And I'm Butler.
00:20Morning, Ben.
00:21Yeah, we'll start in the South East, where TC Group, they're an accountancy firm.
00:26Very acquisitive.
00:27Very acquisitive, expanding all over the UK.
00:29Well, they have merged, or they have announced a merger with a firm in Sussex called Nill
00:35James.
00:37They were established in 1887.
00:40Historic firm.
00:41Yeah, remarkable bit of history.
00:44And the firm, the historic sort of combined business, will be known as TC Nill James.
00:51And you know, that's just the latest in a long line of acquisitions, straight mergers
00:55for TC Group.
00:58WJP Brokerage helped support that deal as well.
01:01So yeah, we'll look forward to seeing how they get on as a sort of larger organisation.
01:06Absolutely.
01:07Now, I mentioned in the intro, we've got a couple of lists.
01:11So perhaps you can tell us about the, is it the most exciting in the South West?
01:14Yes, in the South West.
01:16So we've got a diverse mix of businesses from across the region.
01:21And it showcases the 50 most exciting companies across the region.
01:25Yeah, for people who don't know, the most exciting, it's our editors, they're sort of
01:29picks for the businesses that are particularly innovative or, you know, eye-catching.
01:33And they're sort of destined, we hope, for growth.
01:35Oh, absolutely, yeah.
01:36So who have we got in the South West?
01:38Yeah, so we've got a Cornwall-based coffee roaster, for all you coffee fans, Origin Coffee.
01:44Right, okay.
01:45We've also got a Bristol-based Heidi, that's an online tour operator specialising in ski
01:51holidays.
01:52Oh, very nice.
01:53And we've also got Prima Bakeries, which have become employee-owned recently as well.
01:58Yeah, and they're a Cornish pasty business, is that right?
02:02Yes, they're a Cornish pasties producer.
02:04Right, ah yes, because I remember them, because I think it was earlier this week, or earlier
02:08this month, that they acquired a historic Cornish biscuit maker.
02:12Yes, a biscuit maker in Cornwall.
02:14So quite a lot of activity going on with them at the moment.
02:17Right, okay.
02:18And are you a pasty fan?
02:20Yes, I like a nice Cornish pasty, yeah.
02:23Absolutely, same here.
02:24I'm sticking out the bit you can grip onto on the sort of the seam.
02:27Yeah, the South West in general is great for food.
02:30It is, isn't it?
02:31With the scones and cream and the cider.
02:33Yeah, can't go wrong.
02:35You prefer a sausage roll?
02:37I would go for a sausage roll ahead of a Cornish pasty, but that's just because they're more
02:40readily available, I think.
02:41So yeah.
02:42Yeah.
02:43And okay, well that sounds interesting or exciting.
02:47And what about in Wales?
02:48What's going on with the list?
02:49So in Wales, we've also got a various mix of businesses from across the region.
02:56The list ranks the top companies in Wales with a turnover of under 15 million, and that's
03:01on a mix of sales and profits.
03:03So some of the big names, we've got care Philly-based employee-owned insurance company, Thomas Carroll,
03:10which is a big player there in the insurance industry.
03:14You've also got a Welsh pool meat wholesaler, the Welsh Sausage Company.
03:18Right, okay.
03:19What's your favorite sausage?
03:20Well, I think, not Welsh, it's actually Irish.
03:24My favorite brand is Clonacilty, they're from Ireland, absolutely superb, but I'm sure Wales
03:31are great at making sausages.
03:32Yeah, I like a Cumberland sausage first.
03:35In Wales, I'm a big fan of the Edwards brand, which is North Wales.
03:39And where are the Welsh sausages, where do you say they're from?
03:41Conway area of Edwards is, yes, in North Wales, they have a nice shop they do actually in
03:46Conway.
03:47Right, okay.
03:48Where you can buy various produce from them.
03:50It sounds a bit risky.
03:51Yeah, risky place.
03:52All the different varieties.
03:53Excellent, excellent.
03:54And also, we're representing South West Wales, we've got a Port Talbot chemicals manufacturer,
04:00Celtic Chemicals.
04:01And other well-known names in the ranking include lawn care company Green Fun, and we've
04:06also got Beacon Food, which is a big food supplier in Brecon, and Port Marion, a tourist
04:14organization.
04:16Ah, yes, near Port Maddox.
04:19Can you tell us the TV programme it's famous for?
04:23I can, I'm a big fan of The Prisoner, Patrick Magoo and The Prisoner, have you watched that?
04:28I have seen it in the past, yeah.
04:29Well, in fact, I had a birthday treat where I went to stay in Port Marion, and on the
04:34TVs there, they have sort of The Prisoner on loop, which is kind of fitting.
04:40All that was missing from our trip was getting chased along the beach by those white balls
04:43that they have.
04:45But it's great to see them doing well, attracting more tourists to North Wales.
04:50And if you want to see either of the lists for the South West and Wales, they're both
04:54in the latest Insider magazines for their respective regions.
04:59Okay, fantastic.
05:00Well, away from Ben and his list, we've also got news of a new managing partner appointment
05:05at North Eastern Cumbria law firm, Muckle.
05:09Now, Jason Wainwright has been at the helm for nine going on 10 years.
05:15Long period there.
05:16Yes, that's right.
05:17But he's always had it in mind that he's going to step down after that time, been a great
05:21period of growth and accreditations for the firm.
05:24And he's passing the baton on to his corporate lawyer colleague, Anthony Evans.
05:31He's sort of a well-known person in the deal-making community, and he's head of corporate at the
05:35firm.
05:37And he's going to be succeeded as head of corporate by Philip Clare.
05:42That's going to take place next year, 2025, April 2025.
05:46So big shoes to fill, but I'm sure they've got exciting plans over at Muckle.
05:51It's a big appointment there, yeah.
05:52Absolutely.
05:53Well, to read more about the stories that we've been discussing, go to insidermedia.com.
05:58You can also take a look at our new improved homepage.
06:02You can subscribe to our newsletters, and you can also subscribe to the magazines, find
06:06out more about the lists Ben has mentioned.
06:10That's everything from us.
06:11See you next time.