About Us - Carston
A Brief History…
The firm was formed in 1940 as D.R. Carston & Co., and traded from Museum Place in Cardiff until 1969, when the firm became Carston, Poley, Morris and Thomas. In 1974, the firm moved to Penlline Road in Whitchurch, and that name became identified with the firm during the 70's and 80's. In 1989 the firm became Carston & Co., and traded under that name until April 2000.
30th April 2000 saw the most exciting development in the recent history of the firm when we merged with Shepherd Hallett & Co, another long established Cardiff accountancy practice. At the same time, the company incorporated as a private company, although it will in the foreseeable future continue to trade under the name of Carston. Further mergers and acquisitions have subsequently enhanced and widened the scope of services available to our clients, most recently in 2004 with Keane & Co a firm with considerable expertise in the specialist areas of Charity and Housing Association work.
On 21st September 2001 the firm moved from the office in Whitchurch to 16 Cathedral Road, which marked the merging of all offices under one roof. This move further enhanced the operational and logistical efficiency of the firm, and also the level of resources available to our wide client base.
The profession has undergone many changes over the years, not least with regard to the impact of the regulatory and tax frameworks governing most of what we do, but the future is both exciting and challenging and we look forward to further developing and enhancing the range of products and services available to our clients.
Our Clients…
As a general practice we have over the last 65 years developed an extremely wide client base, acting for clients ranging from multimillion pound private companies and partnerships to the individual who just needs help with a personal Tax Return. It is difficult to think of a type of client that is not represented within this base although our servicing philosophy is the same whatever the need. As with any business the same core principles apply and our philosophy underpins the care of our clients, that is based on a highly personal, responsive and proactive commitment to help our clients deal with the issues that affect them on a day-to day basis.
Our client base has grown particularly rapidly over the last 5 years as computerisation has enabled a lot of clients to maintain their own accounting systems and provide in-house services previously the domain of the accountant. This has been a positive development as it has enabled us to concentrate on providing services of greater value to our clients than pure "compliance-dealing".
The growth in our client base has been achieved largely through recommendation from existing clients and contacts within the business and financial world, and we receive referrals of clients from banks, financial advisors, solicitors and other intermediaries. This "organic" growth process has also enabled us to concentrate on providing value for the clients we wish to act for and we do not engage in "low-balling" or other disingenuous fee practices to attract clients. We are selective in who we act for and for this reason avoid the "hard-sell".
With regard to our fee levels this is usually agreed in advance with our clients and will be realistic for both us and our client. That way everyone is happy and we can concentrate on providing a first rate service.
