"They have always been on hand to offer advice if we need it and they know our business inside out."
Background
J. Smart & Co. (Contractors) PLC is an Edinburgh based construction company with a number of subsidiaries, and services including residential development for sale and the development of industrial and commercial property for lease and sale.
The business was started in 1947 and the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1965.
The group also has a number of joint venture partnerships, to deliver projects through site acquisition, planning process, design, construction, marketing, letting or sale and onward management stages.
What we did
French Duncan are proud to have acted as external auditors for J. Smart & Co. since 1975, reporting on the annual accounts of the company and group, making them one of our longest-standing clients.
We also assist with the completion of annual tax returns for submission to HMRC, and provide guidance and commentary on new reporting requirements to allow the Directors to assess the impact on the company and group and for them to make informed decisions.
Due to new regulations on the rotation of listed company auditors, unfortunately our 45-year relationship with J. Smart & Co. has recently come to an end.
Impact we had
Over the last 45 years we have developed and maintained a strong relationship with different generations of the Smart family and have been delighted to be their trusted advisors.
We have continually provided a robust annual audit, challenging management and reporting to shareholders within the reporting timescales for listed companies and provided reassurance that the statutory reporting and accounts disclosures are fully compliant.
Our tax team have assisted with the annual tax returns ensuring submission to HMRC within the due dates.
We have given our client the confidence that we will always seek to identify any areas for systems or process improvement, and have provided guidance during periods of change, for example with the introduction of international accounting standards for listed groups and updates to the governance code.
Perhaps most importantly, we have been the trusted advisor to a long-standing family firm for over 45 years and during that time we have provided a service that they have been fully satisfied with.
David Smart, Chairman & Joint Managing Director at J. Smart & Co said:
“Over the years we have built up a fantastic relationship with French Duncan, across generations of the Smart family. They have always been on hand to offer advice if we need it and they know our business inside out. We would have no hesitation in recommending their services – if we could have kept French Duncan as our auditor, we would!”.
