An accountancy group has acquired a rival with bases across the Midlands and North West.
Dains has bought out Barringtons which has offices across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire.
Founded in 1980, Barringtons provides accounting and tax services to owner-managed businesses and individuals.
Dains was established in 1926 and has offices in Birmingham, Burton-on-Trent, Derby, Lichfield and Stoke-on-Trent, employing 195 staff including 25 partners and directors.
The acquisition of Barringtons follows an investment into Dains last year by private equity firm Horizon Capital.
Chief executive Richard McNeilly said "Barringtons is a well-established and highly credible firm with a high-quality team and client base.
"We have similar values and strongly believe in delivering impressive results for clients and rewarding careers for staff.
"The acquisition builds on our position within the north Midlands marketplace and is the first of several transactions we hope to complete in 2022."
Barringtons' managing director Phil Wood added: "We have continued to invest in technology and in our team in recent years and we have always been determined to deliver the best possible service to our loyal clients.
"By joining Dains, our ability to deliver an even broader range of services is enhanced and we look forward to working with the Dains team for many years to come."
Luke Kingston, partner at Horizon Capital, said "Barringtons is a well-respected business and has performed strongly through the pandemic demonstrating its importance to customers and the critical service it provides.
"We are delighted to have supported Dains on this acquisition as they continue their journey to consolidate the fragmented SME accounting and tax marketplace."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
