DWF has advised Nixon Williams, a leading accountancy practice for contractors and freelancers, on its sale to Sovereign Capital, the UK private equity Buy & Build specialist. The £100million deal also saw Sovereign Capital acquire SJD Accountancy (SJD) in a move which creates the largest group providing accounting services to the contractor and SME markets in the UK.

Both Nixon Williams and SJD offer clients a breadth of accountancy services including year-end accounts, corporation tax, bookkeeping, payroll services and quarterly VAT calculations. The businesses will continue to operate independently under their respective brands within the new Group structure, receiving the investment and support to further develop their offering.

Frank Shephard, head of corporate in the North West, led the deal at DWF and commented: “Alan Williams and Andy Nixon founded Nixon Williams in 1995 and have built a great business providing a high quality service to clients with a particular expertise in the IT contractor market. It has been a pleasure to work with them on a deal which will facilitate further growth for the enlarged group.”

Frank was supported on the deal by Katy Philips, Jade Chan and Sophie Doyle in the team at DWF.