Optionis buys tax specialists Brian Alfred Associates

Business and freelancer services group Optionis, home to Parasol and ClearSky, has bought “slick and innovative” tax specialists Brian Alfred Associates for an undisclosed sum, Optionis has announced.

The deal is the fourth takeover to be completed by Cheshire-headquartered Optionis in the past 18 months.

A statement from Optionis said that its new acquisition “revolutionised” the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) tax system by introducing faster electronic rebates. Based in West London, the 10-year-old tax specialist firm has 20 staff and “around” 5,000 clients.

Following the deal, the Brian Alfred brand will be maintained and will sit within Optionis’ small and medium-sized enterprise-facing division, ClearSky Business.

Brian Alfred founder and chief executive Paul Atkin is stepping down following the acquisition.

Optionis group managing director Derek Kelly described the company’s latest acquisition as a “slick and innovative outfit”.

Law firm DWF advised Optionis on its latest acquisition, while EY assisted with financial and tax due diligence.

Brian Alfred was advised by law firm Temple Bright and accountancy firm BDO’s corporate finance team.

This article appeared on the Recruiter website on 18 December 2014.