Schroders Group subsidiary Benchmark Capital has reached agreement to acquire Swindon-based Unique Financial Planning for an undisclosed sum.
This comes weeks after it appointed Tim Sargisson as managing director of financial planning.
Unique is a firm of 32 advisers with £755m ($974m, €868m) of client assets under advice. It has five offices across the south of England, with headquarters in Swindon.
The financial planning firm will continue to operate independently, but will join Benchmark’s network.
Ed Dymott, managing director for wealth at Benchmark, said: “Unique have built their practice over the last 30 years and have established themselves as one of the most trusted businesses in their regions. The management team have been focused on how they can achieve the next phase of their growth and find a partner who can support their clients for the next 30 years and beyond.
“We know that Unique, like many of the new advisers we are attracting, see significant benefits in our strategy, continued investment, and capital strength, with a focus on quality and independence. We’ve made a number of selective acquisitions over the last few years, and we continue to support over 175 advice firms. Unique will be 1 of over 25 firms joining us this year.”
Stewart Williams, chief executive at Unique Financial Planning, added: “We had many options when looking for a partner, but we were clear we wanted to work with someone who would invest in the business and support our vision for growth. It was also vital to provide security for our staff, our advisers and most importantly our clients, as well as a well-thought-out succession plan for the directors.”
In March 2023, Benchmark Capital completed the acquisition of Strabane-based Kennedy Independent Financial Advice (KFA) for an undisclosed sum.
