Darren Bear of Grant Thornton

GRANT Thornton has been named as the number one financial adviser to companies in East Anglia, and nationally, by the volume of deals advised on during 2012.

The annual ranking, compiled by financial information company Experian Corpfin, shows that Grant Thornton, which includes offices in Ipswich, Norwich and Cambridge, advised on 11 deals in the region last year, and on a total of 121 across the UK as a whole.

In second place regionally was Baker Tilly, which advised on seven deals, followed in third position by PKF, on six.

The regional legal adviser ranking was headed by DWF, which advised on 11 deals, followed by Shoosmiths on nine, Birketts on eight and Mills & Reeve on six.

The Experian Corpfin ranking reveals a 22.6% increase in mid-market activity across the region with a total of 38 transactions announced, up from 31 the previous year. The combined value of the deals was £1.37billion, an increase of 24.3%.

Darren Bear, Grant Thornton East Anglia’s corporate finance partner, said: “Despite economic conditions remaining tough throughout 2012, we have grown our market share and are delighted to be confirmed as the number one deal advisers by reported volume of deals. East Anglia has strong, established businesses and continues to grow and encourage more investment.”

He added: “It is not surprising to see technology, manufacturing and industrial companies continuing to forge deals as they are heavily reliant on technical expertise, research and development and intellectual property, areas where companies in East Anglia have strong offerings.

“Mergers, acquisitions and disposals enable companies to acquire new assets or sell off non-core ones to release funds.”