Benchmark Capital, a leading provider of financial planning solutions and part of the Schroders Group has announced that it has reached agreement to acquire Swindon-based Unique Financial Planning.

Unique is a firm of 32 advisers with £755 million of client assets under advice. They have five offices across the South of England, with their headquarters in Swindon.

The team at Unique were attracted by Benchmark’s integrated back-office, platform, client portal and investment solutions, as well as the broader practice management support and long-term outlook. Unique will join Benchmark’s award-winning network.

Unique will continue to operate independently, but with further support from Benchmark’s technology and training and development, alongside additional group resources across marketing, finance, people management and compliance services.

This is the next in a series of acquisitions that Benchmark has made over the last five years, each partnership carefully selected with the aim of working with advisers at every stage of their journey and offering a long-term, flexible approach to both practice finance and succession planning that appreciates the range of different routes and options available.

Ed Dymott, Managing Director Wealth, 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 focussed 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 are delighted they have chosen to partner with Benchmark, and see strong alignment with our client focus, technology enablement and long-term outlook. 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, CEO, Unique Financial Planning said:

“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. Benchmark’s technology and support really stood out for us. Their long-term commitment to financial planning and focus on client outcomes was different to anything else we saw in the market.”

Gunner & Co. specialise in IFA sales, IFA business sales, retiring IFAs and IFA client bank sales

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