Moore and Waterland front runner in Accounting & Consulting market after three years

The Accounting firms Akanta-Accant (Temse/Antwerp), DCPP (Heist-op-den-berg), Fiscocount (Zelzate and Gentbrugge) and Jules Smits (Bree), as well as two Audit firms, the names of which will shortly be released, are joining Moore. Moreover, Business Consultant Mentor & Men (Ghent), N Consult HR & International Mobility (Watermaal-Bosvoorde) and finally Business Analyst Bijster (Hasselt) are also joining the group. These recent affiliations will enable Moore to expand its local network, which currently comprises 46 locations and 131 employees, and increase its turnover by €19 million. Moore is thus able to widen and intensify its expertise, not only in its traditional core activities in terms of Accounting and Audit, but also its expertise with respect to digitisation, AI and Business Analytics, HR Tax and International Mobility, which is becoming increasingly important to its customers.

“Consolidation in the Accounting and Consulting market continues unabated whilst the complexity in our sector continues to intensify. The strength of our model lies in the combination of our origins as a family business, our partnership of professions and a sound corporate culture into a single brand name. This enables new Moore partners to offer a very wide range of services under the same brand name, exceeding the traditional Accounting and Audit practices, without losing their local presence, network and entrepreneurship,” Peter Verschelden, Chairman Moore Belgium, commented.

Unprecedented growth trajectory

Due to the successful combination of a buy & build strategy and significant organic growth, Moore Belgium has become a market leader in its sector. More than ever before, the company is now more firmly embedded in the economic and social fabric of this country with subsidiaries in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia. The Walloon player ODB, who joined Moore in May 2023, is now the basis for Moore Belgium in French-speaking Belgium. The recent takeover of Tax Consult HR & International Mobility is the first stage in the quest to further strengthen this position in the French-speaking part of the country.

Over a period of three years the turnover of Moore Belgium increased from €60 to €180 million and the number of employees rose from 530 to 1,500.

Waterland and Moore Belgium are also focusing on closer international cooperation. Since the summer, the British company Moore Kingston Smith (800 employees) and Moore Ireland (120 employees) are also part of the growth project with Waterland as an investment partner. These three companies are all members of the global Moore network (30,000 employees in 114 countries) that can provide support to clients worldwide.

“We truly believe in the ongoing success of our partnership with Moore Belgium, which we are not only firmly anchoring down in Belgium, but now also expanding at an international level with our investment in the British operator Moore Kingston Smith and Moore Ireland. The driving force of our collaboration is the shared vision of an Accounting and Consulting business that operates as a fully-fledged right hand to entrepreneurs, our experience in buy & build and expertise in enhancing the professionalism of companies that are experiencing significant growth,” Matthias Geyssens, partner at Waterland, explained.

Ambitious plans for the future

Going forward, the company will continue to invest sustainably in its presence and service provision. For example, Moore Belgium aims to be the ultimate benchmark in Accounting and Consulting for SMEs and larger enterprises with decision-making centres in Belgium. Moreover, in addition to pursuing growth in this country, Moore Belgium aims to promote closer international collaboration in conjunction with Waterland.

“We are currently a multidisciplinary consultancy with an extremely healthy financial and professional support base, which puts us amongst the leaders in our sector, without detracting from our local presence and proximity to our clients, with dynamic offices with on average 25 to 30 employees. This guarantees an approach and service level tailored to SMEs, midmarket and larger businesses with Belgian shareholdings or decision-making centres. This combination, which is unique in the market, opens up the opportunity for even greater success,” Peter Verschelden concluded.

About Moore Belgium

Moore Belgium is the largest independent Accounting and Consulting service provider in Belgium with 5 key centres in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Kortrijk and Hasselt and 46 subsidiaries spread across the country. In 2022 the company achieved a turnover of €126 million with a workforce of 1,150 employees. Acting as a partner, Moore Belgium supports the growth trajectory of SMEs and larger enterprises with Belgian shareholdings or decision-making centres and local authorities, with services focused on Accountancy, Audit, Business Analytics, Business Consulting, Corporate Finance, Grants & Incentives, Interim Management and Tax & Legal Services. Being a member of Moore Global - one of the larger Accounting and Consulting networks in the world - Moore Belgium is able to assist clients in more than one hundred countries. For further information visit www.moore.be

About Waterland

Waterland is an independent European investment company, which provides support to entrepreneurs in the quest to realise their growth ambitions. Waterland currently manages investment obligations amounting to more than € 14 billion. Since its establishment in 1999, Waterland has expanded and now includes more than 180 professionals operating from 13 offices in 11 countries. Waterland is licensed to operate as an Alternative Investment Fund Manager under the supervision of the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). For further information visit www.waterlandpe.com