Andersen closure.

Big Five firm Andersen has moved ‘hundreds’ of accountants out of its Nottingham office, but denied it has plans to close down the premises.

The firm has moved the majority of its audit work from the East Midlands building into its new larger Birmingham branch.

The remaining employees left in Nottingham are understood to be the firm’s accounts department. But a spokesman for Andersen said the firm would not be closing down the office, and would be better placed to service the Nottingham area through superior facilities and bigger solutions following the move.

The action mirrors a similar reorganisation by rival PricewaterhouseCoopers, which has revealed its intention to combine three offices in the East Midlands into a single office for the region.

Employees from PwC’s Nottingham, Derby and Leicester branches will be affected by the move to an as yet unconfirmed new site. PwC Midlands chairman Brian Woods-Scawen, said: ‘Markets are changing rapidly, on a local, national and global level.’

For more see Letters, page 19 and www.accountancyage.com/Practice/1125443