Cooper Parry has entered into an investment partnership with New York-based Lee Equity to help deliver growth to its UK clients, including dealerships.
The Manchester-based automotive team at UHY Hacker Young – auditor for the dealer categories in the AM Awards – joined Cooper Parry in a takeover deal in October.
The renowned automotive advisory team, led by Dave Kendrick, Paul Daly and Ian McMahon, has steered some of the most significant industry deals to completion including most recently managing the DM Keith acquisition of car and motorcycle dealer group Colin Appleyard.
Lee Equity succeeds Waterland Private Equity as Cooper Parry’s capital partner.
Ade Cheatham, Cooper Parry chief executive (pictured), said: “This investment marks a monumental milestone in the CP journey, representing one of the largest deals of its kind in the global accountancy market.
“Following an incredible period of sustainable growth, partnering with Lee Equity Partners is the next level game-changer.
“The scale of this deal will propel us further forward over the next five years, giving us the financial resources to create the UK’s next-gen professional services group.”
Additional terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2025 subject to regulatory approvals, were not disclosed.
Entries wanted for the 2025 AM Awards
Kendrick’s auto team is auditing this year’s AM Awards, which are currently open for entries now.
Freelance writer for AM, Tom Seymour has been a specialist B2B journalist covering the automotive sector for over 14 years. He started his freelance career in 2015 and currently writes for a variety of automotive, business and technology publications.
