A leading wealth management company is expanding and has opened a new hub in Prestatyn
Wrexham-based Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management will be operating out of the premises of Townsend Insurance Brokers on the High Street in the seaside resort.
Establishing the new base is the result of a “growing synergy” between Hadlow Edwards and Daulby Read Insurance Brokers the parent company of Townsend.
It comes on the heels of Hadlow Edwards acquiring a Cumbrian wealth management company, Sherlock Financial Management, based in Kendal in the Lake District last year.
Hadlow Edwards was originally established in 2004 by ex-bankers Medwyn Edwards, who has since retired, and Warren Hadlow, who is still a Director.
Director James Parry, who also comes from a banking background, joined the firm in 2011 and the company headquarters is in the iconic, red brick ex-Wrexham Lager brewery building in Wrexham where they employ 33 staff.
Setting up the new base in Prestatyn was a particular pleasure for Mr Parry, who grew up in the town but now lives in Hawarden.
He said: “I’ve known Pete Goddard from Daulby Read for 10 years. We hit it off straight away and we’ve also got very similar growth plans within our businesses.
“We’re very much aligned in our way of thinking and how everything is mutually beneficial because I can’t do what Pete does and he can’t do what we do.
“Our clients need both services and that’s really important and the biggest thing in our industry is trust – you need to trust somebody you recommend a client to because our own reputations are on the line.
“I use Pete for my own personal services, so there’s no higher recommendation and I wouldn’t even consider looking elsewhere because it’s not all about price. It’s about the quality of the advice and the quality of service.
“We’re initially looking at putting our mortgage team in Prestatyn but we’re also looking to run financial wellbeing clinics because that’s something our high streets have lost through the closure of bank branches.
“There are still people who want to walk into somewhere and ask for help.
“We look after a large range of clients from all walks of life, supporting them with financial security.
“By coming together as two businesses rooted in our local communities, we can offer a wider range of services to meet the needs of the local community and staying close to their roots.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Brighton-born Pete Goddard who cut his teeth as a reinsurance specialist in the City of London where he worked for 25 years, essentially “spreading the risk” for major insurance companies.
He moved to North Wales for family reasons and is now managing director of Daulby Read which is also growing at a rate of knots
Mr Goddard said: “At Townsend’s we employ four people in Prestatyn at the moment, but we’re going to build it up to six.
“The business there has grown by around 30 per cent since we took over and we’re looking for an apprentice and a more experienced member of staff to join us.
“Hadlow Edwards and ourselves have very different skillsets but we offer complementary services and we have a very similar business ethos, with personal service and dependability being absolutely key.
“They build financial stability and we protect it.”
Mr Parry added: “In terms of expansion this is another step on our journey and I’m hoping it won’t stop there.
“As well as North Wales and the North West, we now have clients as far afield and London and Brighton as well as in places like Cumbria and many others in between.
“But it’s just as important to provide top quality services in communities like Prestatyn which is my home town.
“The bigger we get, the more jobs we create. When I started at Hadlow Edwards there were five people working here and today there are 33. We’re just recruiting another four people.
“The biggest thing here that we want is to create the right environment for people to learn and grow and develop.”
