Griffin moves to larger offices after sustained period of growth

Independent accountancy firm Griffin Chartered Accountants has moved to new offices in Exeter’s premier office park at Pynes Hill just two miles from the city centre.

The move comes just five years after the company opened its first Exeter office at Exeter Business Park. It reflects significant ongoing growth with sales increasing between 20 and 25 percent per annum and staff numbers swelling to 24 full time employees ranging from senior leaders to AAT apprentices.

With offices on the ground and first floors, plus meeting rooms and a boardroom, Courtenay House effectively doubles the size of the company’s premises from 2352 to 5127 sq ft. In addition, Griffin has made a substantial investment in its future by purchasing the building.

Managing Partner, Misty Nickells said: “It was a logical decision which we knew was on the cards for a while. We’ve been winning more clients so obviously we needed more staff and the extra space to accommodate them.”

She attributes the success of Griffin to the company being forward thinking in an early move to electronic systems as well as providing services to a specific category of business client.

“We hit what I call the ‘sweet spot’ with a service aimed at SMEs. We’re positioned perfectly between small high street accountants working with micro businesses and large corporate accountancy firms servicing companies with a turnover of £10 million plus. This is a good market to bed into; in Devon, of around 58,000 businesses registered, the majority are SMEs.

“Moreover, it’s a real boost to our confidence as a company that the vast majority of our new business comes via referrals from existing clients or professional referrers.”

In January this year, Laura Waycott came on board as Partner to concentrate on Griffin’s not for profit and charity clients, freeing Misty up to further develop Griffin’s SME product. The company also has a well-developed specialism with academies, working with schools across Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

While the move to Pynes Hill future proofs further growth for the company, Griffin is retaining its original office in Honiton to better provide a local service to East Devon clients. Misty adds “Having a base in Honiton remains important to us. It’s where we started and we have a good number of clients in the area as well as staff living locally who enjoy the convenience of this office.”