My Haines Watts Your business challenges What we do Offices About Opinion News Resources About us Our History Home > About us > Our History Share Today, we pride ourselves on being innovative and progressive in everything we do. But we’re also immensely proud of our history and the things we’ve achieved over more than 80 years of business. Browse our timeline 1930s Cyril Haines Watts qualified as an Accountant whilst acquiring his first clients. 1940s The first office was set up in a wooden shed, a desk, two chairs, a filing cabinet and a shared phone. Within the first year, two members of staff were recruited and new larger premises found. 1950s With no proactive sales drive, more and more clients came on board having heard ‘word of mouth’ about the customer driven one stop shop accountancy practice. 1960s A second partner joined and the acquisitions began. New services were introduced including Tax and Mechanised Bookkeeping. 1970s Our business continues to grow due to new and more complex legislation. New premises were found and by the end of the decade we boasted eight offices in the Thames Valley area. 1980s We expand our office network across the UK. We set up specialist divisions to offer clients a better range of services. 1990s Tremendous organic growth achieved and we became a Top 20 firm in the UK. We became a true alternative to the then Big 5, with comprehensive services and expertise. Additional specialist divisions are added and we became a leading advisor on Tax Planning. 2000s We focus on being geographically close to our clients, with many new offices opening. Significant expansion of non-core services to ensure we continue to offer the ultimate ‘full service’ for all clients. 2010s We focus on strengthening our client relationships and offering more comprehensive support for business owners by reinforcing our position as true business advisors – not just merely accountants. Haines Watts by numbers... Business owners supported 80 UK office locations 80 UK based staff working to support clients 80 Countries accessible via our international alliance 80 Specialist services Want to find our more about Haines Watts? Contact your nearest office to speak to an expert or contact us. Learn more about us Our values Our history Our clients Careers International alliance Corporate social responsibility Regulation Terms & conditions Privacy policy Your business challenges Starting a business Help & advice on sowing the seeds to grow a great business. Read Selling a business Advice on how to get the most from your business sale. Read Exiting a business Don’t let a lifetime of work fall at the final hurdle. Plan your exit. Read Buying a business Looking to buy a business? Find out how to make it a success. Read Looking for funding There’s plenty of options, you just need to know where to look. Read Expanding abroad Take advantage of international markets for your business. Read Cashflow stopped flowing? If your cash is drying up – we can help to improve your cashflow. Read Paying too much tax? Don’t let the taxman get a large slice of your cash. Read Growing a business? From small beginnings... Advice on how to grow your business. Read Looking for an accountant? Advice and service separates a good accountant from a great one. Read We've won it again! Proud to be the first accountancy firm to win awards for four consecutive years. Read news Read more in our One Business magazine. Opinion Looking for funding – could crowd funding be for you? Read opinion Back to top of page Share Find your nearest office Find Connect with us Legal Haines Watts Group © 2015. Haines Watts is not responsible for the content of external sites. Please read our Terms of use. Useful links Sitemap Terms of use Privacy & cookies