A FINANCIAL firm in Bromsgrove has expanded its operations with the £1.1 million purchase of a group in Sussex.

AFH Group, based on Buntsford Drive in Stoke Heath, has welcomed Shoreham to its UK-wide financial planning community.

The group is ran by Sussex-based independent financial adviser John Walpole, who will continue to serve his existing 130 clients and benefit from AFH’s in-house specialist expertise.

He said: “I believe my clients will get an enhanced level of service, now I can call on the in-house expertise of the whole AFH group.

"And the significantly larger back-up resources in AFH will allow me to spend less time on the computer and more time with my clients.”

The £1.1m deal is the second expansion in a month for AFH, which also owns a property portfolio that includes the Halfords store in Redditch.

AFH chief executive Alan Hudson said: “I’m delighted to welcome John to AFH and look forward to working with him to continue our growth in the South East and across the UK.

“AFH provides successful IFAs an opportunity to continue to provide their clients with professional advice and grow their business while benefitting from the back-office resources and purchasing power of AFH Group.

“This continues our strategy of sustainable growth while keeping the group debt-free.”