North of Scotland accountancy firms agree merger deal

Two accountancy firms operating in the north of Scotland have tied the knot in a merger deal.

Banff-based Anderson & Co, set up by Arlene Anderson, has merged with accountancy peer Ritsons. The deal sees Anderson & Co’s team join Ritsons to serve communities across the north east of Scotland and the Highlands with accountancy and business advice.

Ritsons partner Deborah Newton first hired Arlene Anderson in 2001 and went on to support her through her chartered accountancy training.

Anderson developed her early career at Ritsons, before moving to another accounting firm, coming back to Ritsons and then leaving to start her own business while caring for a young family. She has built the business up over the past seven years.

The Anderson & Co team will transfer to work under the Ritsons brand and will retain the Banff office, whilst also benefiting from access to Ritsons support in Buckie, Elgin, Forres, Inverness and Keith offices. Anderson is joining Ritsons as a partner.

She said: “Ritsons has always felt like home, so while circumstances have seen me gain valuable experience elsewhere and ultimately build my own successful business, I’m excited to be back in the Ritsons team, in my new role as partner.

“The accounting sector is going through significant technology driven change and I’m looking forward to working with the wider Ritsons team to capitalise on the opportunities in the industry.”

Deborah Newton, partner at Ritsons, added: “Arlene’s vision and experience in using cloud computing to improve finance systems is invaluable as we support clients with new HMRC processes and making tax digital.”