Punter Southall Group  

Punter Southall buys Dorset adviser

Punter Southall buys Dorset adviser

Punter Southall Aspire has bought an independent financial advice firm in Dorset, in its third acquisition of the past 12 months.

The acquisition of Coleman Financial Services Limited brings £275m of assets under advice to Punter Southall Aspire, as well as a team of 24 staff based at offices in Poole, Exeter and Southampton.

A Punter Southall Aspire spokesperson said the move marked an "important step" in the journey to becoming a national financial planning business.

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Punter Southall Aspire established its financial planning business in June 2018 and recently appointed Peter Selby as managing director of retail advice to lead the firm’s growth.

The firm currently has 10 regional offices with 100 employees and close to £4bn of assets under advice.

Steve Butler, chief executive at Punter Southall Aspire, said he viewed Coleman Financial Services as a highly respected firm.

He said: "Under the direction of the firm’s managing director Simon Fisher, the business has gone from strength to strength and has an impressive team serving a broad range of retail and corporate clients.

"This acquisition will extend our client base and is strategically important and key to our ambitious growth plans."

Simon Fisher, managing director and financial adviser at Coleman Financial Services, said: "We are delighted to become part of Punter Southall Aspire. It is a company that is focused on market innovation, a highly experienced team of advisers and a strong vision and exciting plans for growth.

"The deal will benefit our clients in many ways, offering greater levels of resources and more investment and wealth management solutions, all supported by leading-edge technology."

In June last year Punter Southall Aspire completed its acquisition of Focus Oxford and later bought Bedfordshire-based chartered financial planning firm DP Financial Services for an undisclosed sum in October.

rachel.addison@ft.com