Marchant McKenchnie acquired by KW Wealth Marchant McKechnie

The deal will bring additional annual revenue of over £1.4 million to KW Wealth, subject to regulatory approval.

Marchant McKechnie will continue to operate from its existing office in Beverley, East Yorkshire, becoming KW Wealth’s seventh regional office in the UK, after London, Manchester, Cheltenham, Maidstone, Brighton and Worcester.

Marchant McKechnie serves around 700 clients and has about £200 million of assets under advice (AUA). The combined group will have over £2 billion of AUA, 20 financial advisors and more than 4,000 active clients.

Marianne Ismail, CEO of KW Wealth, said: “Marchant McKechnie is a strong addition to the Group as we look to build a new national brand in the UK wealth market. The business shares our commitment to delivering high levels of customer service to clients over the long-term.

“The UK wealth market is excessively fragmented, and we believe that there is a substantial market opportunity to build a national brand for quality, independent wealth planning advice and investment management.

“The rebranding of European Wealth to KW Wealth and the acquisition of Marchant McKechnie are first steps. Our objective is to grow both organically and dynamically by acquisition in the UK and US, and we are actively looking at opportunities in both countries. The Group has a strong and scalable operating platform with the capacity to support incremental revenue and earnings growth from future acquisitions, delivering improved profitability for the Group as a whole.”

Neil McKechnie, Founder, Marchant McKechnie, commented: “I am delighted that in KW Wealth we have found an owner who shares our philosophy of working in a way that is always centred on what is right for the client. KW Wealth has a strong platform that will enable a number of synergies to be realised through the combination of our businesses and we look forward to playing our part in helping KW Wealth achieve their ambition of becoming one of the leading wealth management providers in the UK market.”

David Inglesfield, Head of Wealth, KW Wealth added: “Marchant McKechnie’s client-first approach is a natural fit for our business. The provision of good quality independent financial advice is more important than ever. We often see clients with complex requirements so it’s important that, as part of our growth, we partner with businesses that allow us to continue providing best in class advice and client care throughout the UK.”